
aass_EA2^ 
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A 

GEOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 

OF THE STATE OF 

NEW YORK: 

EMBRACING ITS 

HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, PHYSICAL FEATURES, CLIMATE, 

GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, BOTANY, ZOOLOGY, 

EDUCATION, INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS, &c 

WITH A SEPARATE 

MAP OF EACH COUNTY. 

THE WHOLE FORMING 

A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE STATE. 
BY J^ H, MATHER and L, P, BROCKETT, M. D. 



UTICA : 

PUBLISHED BY H. H. HAWLEY & CO. 

1848. 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1848, by 

H. H. HAWLEY & CO., 

in the Clerk's office of the District Court of the Northern District of New York. 







PREFACE 



This Work has been prepared with great care and labor and 
presents the following claims to the patronage of the people of 
New York. 

It gives historical sketches of the first settlement of the state, 
and of each County, compiled from the most authentic sour- 
ces, also the date of the settlement of each town, in chrono- 
logical order. 

It presents the Geography of the State, accompanied by 
Maps of the State, and of each County -correctly delineating 
the county and town lines of boundary, and representing the 
localities of the most important cities and villages. 

These maps are of very great importance to the scholar and 
reader of this work, aiding him in his knowledge of locality, 
without which all geographical research is only superficial. 

In the absence of a reference map, they serve as a substitute 
to a good degree, especially in defining the boundaries of coun- 
ties and towns, being free from names, they are perfectly dis- 
tinct to the eye. 

It also gives all the most valuable particulars of the late Geo- 
logical Survey, not only in relation to the Geology and Min- 
eralogy, but also to the Botany and Zoology of the State. 

To the Politician it is a valuable manual, furnishing him with 
the new Constitution, the organization of the different depart- 
ments of the State Government, the history of the land pur- 
chases, which have been the source of much controversy in the 
State, and the Statistics of wealth, manufactures and popu- 
lation in each County. 

To the friend of education, this book is valuable on account 
of its full and accurate statistics of the history, progress, and 
present condition of the Public Schools, the Normal School, 
the Universities, Colleges and Academies in the state, together 
with the Common School System.* 

It is emphatically a book for the family, and as such we 
offer it to the people of the State of New York. 



*Soon after this work went to press the office of County Superintendant of 
Schools was abolished by the Legislature. 



CONTENTS 



Physical Features of New York, 13. Lakes, 15. 
Boundaries, 13. Rivers, 17. 

General Features, 13. Climate of New York. 13. 

NATURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 



Geology and Mineralogy, 21. 

Tabular View of the Rocks of New 
York, 24. 

Mineralogy, 2D. 

Mineral Springs, 30. 
Botany, 32. 
Zoology, 39. 

Class I Mammalia, 39. 



Class II Aves — birds, 39. 
Class III Reptiles, 43. 
Class IV Amphibia, 43. 
Class V Fishes, 43. 
Class VII Crustacea, 46. 
Class VIII Mollusca, 46. 
Class IX Insects. 47. 



CIVIL HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 



Dutch Colonial Administration, 48. Mines, 101. 

Discovery and Settlement, 48. Government of New York, 102. 

Director Minuit's Administration, 50. Constitution of New York, 102. 
Director Van Twiller's Administra- Government of Counties, Towns, 

tion, 52. and Villages, 119. 

Director Kieft's Administration, 53. Public Education, 120. 



Governor Stuyvesant's Administra- 
tion, 58. 
English Colonial Government, 62. 

The State Administration, 77. 
Internal Improvements, 94. 
Pursuits of the People. 100. 

Agriculture, 100. 

Commerce, 100. 

Manufactures, 101. 



Origin and History of the Common 
School System, 120. 

Present Condition of Common 
Schools, 121. 

State Normal School, 123. 

City School Organization, 124. 

Universities, Colleges, and Acade- 
mies, 126. 



GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF THE COUNTLES. 



Land Purchases, 129. 

I Albany County, 131. 

II New York County, 139. 
Long Island, 152. 

III Kings County, 154. 
iV Qeeus, 159. 

V Suffolk, 164. 



VI Richmond, 169. 

VII Westchester, 173. 

VIII Ulster, 181. 

IX Dutchess, 186. 

X Orange, 191. 

XI Montgomery, 199. 

XII Washington, 204. 



XII 



CONTENTS, 



XIII Columbia, 209. 

XIV Clinton, 214. 

XV Ontario, 219. 

XVI Herkimer, 223. 

XVII Rensselaer, 228. 
XVni Otsego, 233. 

XIX Saratoga, 239. 

XX Onondaga, 248. 

XXI Tioga, 254. 

XXII Schoharie, 257. 
XXm Steuben, 262. 

XXIV Delaware, 266. 

XXV Chenango, 269. 

XXVI Rockland, 273. 
XXVn Oneida, 277. 

XXVIII Cayuga, 286, 

XXIX Essex, 290. 

XXX Greene, 295. 

XXXI Genesee, 299. 

XXXII St. Lawrence, 302". 
XXXIH Seneca, 307. 

XXXIV Lewis, 310. 

XXXV Jefferson, 313. 

XXXVI Allegany, 320. 

Table I 417. 
Table II 420. 
Table III 423. 



XXXVU Broome, 323. 

XXXVIII Madison, 326. 

XXXIX Cattaraugus, 330, 
XL Chautauque, 334. 
XLI Cortland, 340. 
XLII Franklin, 343. 
XLIII Niagara, 347. 
XLIV Sullivan, 354. 
XLV Schenectady, 357. 
XLVI Putnam, 361. 
XLVII Warren, 364. 
XLVIII Oswego, 369 . 
XLIX Tompkins, 373. 
L Erie, 377. 
LI Livingston, 382. 
L1I Monroe, 383. 
LIII Yates, 39 3: ■ 
LIV Wayne, 396. 
LV Orleans, 399. 
LVI Chemung, 402. 
LVII Fulton, 406. 
LVni Hamilton, 410. 
LIX Wyoming, 413. 

STATISTICAL TABLES. 
Table IV 430. 
Table V 431. 
Table VI Governors of the state, 



432. 



SIGNS USED ON THE MAPS. 

Capital of the State. 



@ County Seats. 
A Villages not County Seats. 
^k& Universities and Colleges 
44- Forts. 

k 



Battle Fields, 



Falls. 



STATE OF NEW YORK 



TOPOGRAPHICAL GEOGRAPHY, 



PHYSICAL FEATURES OF NEW YORK. 

Square Miles, 45,658, (exclusive of the Lakes) Population, 2,603,995. 

Date of discovery, 1609. Valuation in 1845, $605,646,095. 

Boundaries. New York is bounded North by Lake Ontario, 
the river St. Lawrence and Canada ; East by Vermont, Massa- 
chusetts and Connecticut ; South by the Atlantic Ocean, New 
Jersey and Pennsylvania; West by Pennsylvania, Lake Erie 
and the Niagara river. 

Its extreme length from North to South is 310 miles; from 
East to West, including Long Island, 408 miles; exclusive of 
that island 340 miles. It extends from 40° 30' to 45° North 
Latitude, and from 5° 05' East to 2° 55' West Longitude from 
Washington. 

General Features. The Hudson and Mohawk rivers natu- 
rally divide the State into three sections, of unequal size. 

The first comprises Long Island, and that portion of the State 
lying east of the Hudson river and Lake George. The second 
embraces all of the State lying north of the Mohawk and Os- 
wego rivers ; and the third and largest, the vast, fertile tract, 
south of those two rivers. These three sections may be called 
the Eastern, Northern and Southern. 

The ranges of mountains of these different sections are nu- 
merous, and some of them quite elevated. 

In the Eastern division, the Taghkanic range forms the east- 
ern boundary of the state, from Lake Champlain to Putnam 
county. At this point it turns south westward, and the Hudson 
forces a passage through it. 

On the west side of the Hudson it assumes the name of the 
Kittating mountains, and continues its course, into New Jersey 
and Pennsylvania, under that name. 

The Northern section, comprising that portion of the State 
lying north of the Mohawk and Oswego rivers, has six ranges 
of mountains running northeasterly. 
2 



14 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

1. The Palmertown range, some portions of which have also 
received the names of Black, and Tongue mountains. 

This range rises in the northern part of Saratoga Co., runs northeast through 
the tongue of Jand which separates Lake George from Lake Champlain, and 
finally terminates in bold and precipitous clifTs, at the shore of the latter lake, 
south of Ticonderoga. 

2. The Kayaderosseras, or Luzerne mountains. 

These are about six miles wide and seventy long, running from Montgomery 
Co., through Saratoga and Warren counties, along the Western side of Lake 
George to Ticonderoga. 

The Hudson breaks through it on the line of Warren and Saratoga counties. 

3. The Clinton range. 

This extends from Montgomery Co. northeast, through Fulton, Hamilton, Sar- 
atoga, Warren and Essex counties, to Point Trembleau on Lake Champlain. It 
is the largest range of mountains lying north of the Mohawk. At its most ele- 
vated portion there are numerous distinct peaks, forming a remarkable group, 
known as the Adirondack. The Mohawk forces a passage through its south- 
western extremity. This range divides the waters flowing into the St. Lawrence, 
from those flowing into the Mohawk and Hudson. Its principal peaks are Mounts 
Marcy, Mclntyre, McMartin and Dial mountain. The first is the highest in the 
State, being 5467 feet above tide water. 

4. The Au Sable, or Peru range. 

This range commences in Montgomery Co., and, running parallel with the 
others through Fulton, Hamilton and Essex counties, terminates in the south 
part of Clinton county. 

It is one hundred and sixty miles long, and higher than the preceding ranges. 
White Face, its loftiest peak, is 2000 feet in height. 

5. The Chateaugay range. 

This is the longest and highest range in the state. Commencing on the line 
of the Kaa'sbergs, in Herkimer Co., it maintains an altitude of nearly 2000 feet 
through the counties of Hamilton, Franklin and Clinton ; and crossing the Canada 
line terminates upon the Canada plains. 

6. A range commencing ten or twelve miles from the north- 
ern extremity of the Chateaugay range, and trending along the 
slope of the St. Lawrence. 

This has been little explored, and is of less extent than the last. The St. Regis, 
Grasse and other rivers descending into the St. Lawrence divide it into several 
distinct portions. 

The Northern section has albo two smaller ridges worthy of 
notice. 

1 . The Highlands of Black river. 

This ridge extends from the sources of Black creek, west, and northwest, 
about sixty miles, covering much of the country between Black river on one side, 
and the plains north of Oneida Lake on the other. Its altitude is given at from 
twelve to sixteen hundred feet ; and it has frequently a rolling surface upon its 
top of several miles in width. 

2. The Hassencleaver mountain. 

Hassencleaver ridge, extending from Herkimer county into Oneida, occupies 
the space between the Highlands and the Mohawk river. It is twenty miles long 
— about nine miles broad at its base — and has an altitude varying from eight to 
nine hundred feet, with a rolling surface. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES. W 

The third, or Southern section may be subdivided into two 
distinct portions — the Eastern and the Western. 
The Eastern division has three distinct ranges of mountains* 

1. The Highlands of Orange and Putnam counties, running 
to the northeast. 

2. The Shawangunk, running in a similar direction, and skirt- 
ing the valley of the Rondout. 

3. The Catskill, or Kaatsberg, whose direction is northwest 
through the counties of Ulster, Albany and Schoharie, to the 
valley of the Mohawk. Those portions of this range lying in the 
counties of Albany and Schoharie, are called the Helderberg 
mountains. 

The southwestern section, also called western New York, 
gradually rises, from the shore of Lake Ontario, till it obtains 
its highest elevation, in the southern tier of counties. 

The first of the terraces, composing this ascent, extends from the Genesee river, 
near Rochester, to the falls of Niagara, at Lewistown, a distance of eighty miles, 
and from six to ten miles in width. It is called the Ridge Road, and is supposed 
once to have formed the shore of Lake Ontario. It is about three hundred feet 
above the surface of the Lake. 

The second extends from this ridge road to the falls of the Genesee, at Nunda 
and Portageville, where there is another abrupt declivity of nearly 300 feet. 

This surmounted, the ascent is gradual to the summit level, at a height at 
1500 to 2000 feet in the southern portion of Chautauque, Cattaraugus, Allegany 
and Steuben counties. 

These terraces, though all quite fertile, are each characterized by a difference 
of soil and of forest trees 

Note. The following table presents the names, situation and elevation of 

the principal summits of tbese different ranges. Feet. 

Mount Marcv, Adirondack Group; Essex county, - 5,467 

"■ Mclntyre, " " " " 5,183 

" McMartin, " " " " about - • ' 5,000 

Dial Mountain or Nipple Top, " '««**.. 4,900 

White Face, 4,855 

Mount Seward, Adirondack group, Franklin county, • * * 4,000 

Round Top, Gatakill mountains, Greene county, .... 3,804 

High Peak, " " «".... 3,718 

Pine Orchard, " " " .... 3,000 

Shawangunk, - - - Orange " .... 1,866 

New Beacon, or Grand Sachem, Highlands, ..... 1,685 

Butter Hill, " 1,520 

Old Beacon, «....,. 1,471 

Breakneck Hill, " 1,187 

Anthony's Nose, "*..-«•.** 1,128 

Mount Defiance, near Ticonderogaj * * * * 750 

Palisades, - ; 550 

Fort Putnam, near West Point, • - • - - ' 500 

Harbor Hill, Long Island, 319 

Richmond Hill, Staten Island, * - — - * - 307 

Lakes. New York abounds in lakes of great beauty and sur- 
rounded by the most lovely scenery. 

Lake Erie, lying on the western border of the state, is the 
most extensive. It is 268 miles in length, and from 30 to 50 in 
breadth. 

Its surface is greatly elevated, being 565 feet above tide water, and 334 above 
Lake Ontario. Its greatest depth is 270 feet, though its mean depth does not 
exceed 120. Only 60 miles of its coast lie within the state, and these afford but 



16 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

three good harbors, viz : Buffalo, Black Rock, and Dunkh'k. The amount of its 
navigation, however, is Very great, and rapidly increasing. During the autumnal 
months, it is subject to storms of great violence. Area of the lake 8030 sq. miles. 

Note The amount of business on Lake Erie is much greater than that upon 
any other of our inland seas. In 1845 the amount of shipping, registered, enrolled 
and licensed, for the district of Buffalo alone, was about 25,000 tons; and this 
Was but a small portion of that employed upon the lake. 

In 1844 more than 40,000 tons of shipping were owned by the American ports 
on that lake, aside from the English shipping, and that coming from other lakes. 
The increase is estimated at not less than 10 per cent, per annum. 

The entire lake trade of 1845 was estimated at $122,000,0110, of which probably 
three-fourths passed over Lake Erie. 

Several of the steamers (of which there are some hundreds), employed on this 
lake, are of more than 1000 tons burthen ; and for convenience and excellence of 
accommodations are unrivalled. 

Lake Ontario is the second in size and importance, lying upon 
the northwest of the State. 

It is of a very regular, elliptical form, 190 miles in length, 55 in its extreme 
Width, and about 485 in circumference. 

' It is in some places over 600 feet in depth, having a mean depth of 492 feet, 
and in every part sufficient water for the largest vessels. Its surface is 334 feet 
lower than that of Lake Erie, and 231 feet above the level of the Atlantic. 

The commerce of Lake Ontario is extensive ; and its ports open usually earlier 
than those of Lake Erie. Of these, the principal, lying in the state of New York, 
are Oswego, Sacketts Harbor, and Port Genesee or Charlotte. It is less subject to 
violent storms and heavy swells than Lake Erie. Its area is 5400 sq. miles. 

Lake Champlain, forming a portion of the eastern boundary, 
is a long and narrow sheet of water, of great beauty and con- 
taining a number of fine islands. Of these, Valcour and Schuy- 
ler, besides several smaller islets, belong to New York ; the 
others to Vermont. 

Its extreme length is 134 miles ; its breadth varies from 40 rods to 14 miles ; 
and its depth from 54 to 282 feet. In the winter it is usually entirely closed by 
tee for about two months. During the remainder of the year, large steamers 
and sloops navigate its waters, richly freighted with the produce of the counties 
along its shores. 

Lake George, or Horicon, named by the French, Lac Sacra- 
ment, on account of the purity of its waters, lies south of Lake 
Champlain. 

It is two or three miles in breadth and thirty-six in length. Its surface is 243 
feet above tide water. It discharges itself into Lake Champlain by a descent of 
150 feet. A steamboat plies upon its waters during the summer. 

The lake is surrounded by hills, towering to the height of 1200 or 1500 feet. 
The numerous islahds which stud its placid surface ; the transparency of its wa- 
ters, which reveals the pebbles beneath, at a depth of 40 feet ; and the rich and 
varied scenery which surrounds it, all combine to render it one of the most de- 
lightful resorts in the state, to the invalid or the man of business. 

The northern portion of the State abounds with small lakes, 
seldom exceeding six or eight miles in length, and two or three 
in breadth. Their number is probably not less than 200. 

Some of these, among the Adirondack group of mountains, are greatly elevated. 
Avalanche lake, in Essex county, is 2900 feet, Colden lake, in the same county, 
2750 feet, and Racket lake, in Hamilton county, 1731 feet above tide water. 

The central portion has a chain of lakes of considerable size 
and importance. 



PHYSICAL FEATURES. 17 

They extend through the counties of Oneida, Oswego, Onondaga, Cayuga, 
Seneca, Yates, Ontario and Livingston ; and are hardly surpassed in beautiful and 
picturesque scenery. 

The principal lakes in this chain are Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, 
Crooked and Canandaigua. 

The first four are navigated by steam and canal boats. They are generally from 
300 to 600 feet deep, and from 400 tor 700 feet above the surface of the Atlantic. 

The other lakes, connected with this chain, are Onondaga, 
Cross, Otisco, Cazenovia, Skeneateles, Owasco, Honeoye, Can- 
adice and Conesus. 

These are all small, but are worthy of notice, for the beautiful scenery which 
surrounds them. Extensive salt springs abound on the shores of the Onondaga, 
whose waters are, notwithstanding, fresh. 

The only other lakes of importance are Otsego and Canade- 
raga in Otsego county, and Chautauque, in Chautauque county. 

Rivers. The Hudson, 320 miles in length, is the largest river 
lying wholly in the State, and one of the finest navigable streams 
in the United States. It rises among the Adirondack group of 
mountains, and flows almost directly South to the bay of New 
York. It is navigable for steamboats of the largest size, and 
sloops, to Troy, 160 miles from its mouth. 

In the number and magnificence of its steamers, and in the extent of business 
done upon its waters, it is probably surpassed only by the Ohio and Mississippi 
rivers. 

The principal branches of the Hudson are, the Hoosick on the 
east side, and the Mohawk on the west. 

The Hoosick, rising in Berkshire county, Mass., runs northwest and west, and 
furnishes many fine mill seats. 

The Mohawk takes its rise in Oneida and Lewis counties. It pursues at first 
a southerly course ; then, changing to east southeast, it forms the valley of the 
Mohawk. Its length is about 130 miles. 

The other tributaries of the Hudson are, on the east, Schroon 
branch, the outlet of Schroon lake ; Battenkill, Kinderhook and 
Croton rivers ; on the west, Wallkill, Rondout, Esopus, Kaat- 
erskill and Sacandaga, besides several smaller streams. 

The St. Lawrence forms the northwestern boundary of New 
York, for a hundred miles ; and is the outlet of the great Amer- 
ican lakes. 

It conveys to the ocean a larger body of water than any other river in the 
world, except the Amazon. It is navigable for sloops as far as Ogdensburg, 60 
miles from Lake Ontario. Below this point, the frequent rapids render naviga- 
tion difficult and dangerous. 

The Thousand Islands lie near its junction with Lake Ontario, a portion of 
which, and some others belong to the United States. This group actually exceeds 
1500 in number. 

The Oswego is the next in importance in the State. Its 
whole length is 120 miles. 

Under the name of Mud creek, it rises in Ontario county, and flowing easterly 
receives, through the Canandaigua outlet, the waters of Canandaigua lake. Pro- 
ceeding eastwardly under the name 'of the Clyde, it receives the waters of Seneca 



18 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

and Cayuga lakes through their common outlet, and assumes the name of Seneca 
river. After a still farther enlargement by the waters of Onondaga lake, it takes 
the title of Oswego river ; and suddenly curving towards the northwest, collects 
from the Oneida river its tribute of the waters of Oneida lake, and discharges itself 
into Lake Ontario. It has about 100 feet fall after assuming the name of Oswego 
river, and furnishes, by its constant supply of water, valuable mill privileges. 
Seven thousand square miles of territory are drained by its waters ; and, by means 
of the Oswego Canal and locks, it is navigable for its whole extent. 

The Allegany river, one of the sources of the Ohio, takes its 
rise in Allegany county, and is navigable for steai ers of small 
draft from Olean, a distance of about 40 miles, to the state line. 

The Susquehanna and Delaware both take their rise in this 
state, and, though not navigable to any considerable extent, 
afford fine seats for mills. 

The other principal rivers of the state are, the Niagara, which 
is the connecting link between Lakes Erie and Ontario, and 
forms the celebrated falls of the same name ; 

The Genesee, distinguished for its immense water power, 
and for being the feeder of the Genesee Valley Canal ; 

It is navigable almost to Rochester, and is 145 miles in length, emptying into 
Lake Ontario. 

The Black, the third river in size, lying wholly in the state, 
and also discharging its waters into Lake Ontario; it is 120 
miles in length, and navigable for 40 miles. 

The Chenango and the Chemung, important tributaries of 
the Susquehanna; 

The Oswegatchie, rising in Herkimer county, the principal 
tributary of the St. Lawrence. 

The other streams flowing into the St. Lawrence are Indian, 
Grasse, Racket, St. Regis and Salmon rivers. 

Chazy and Saranac are the chief streams flowing into Lake 
Champlain. 

CLIMATE OF NEW YORK* 
From the extent and diversity of its surface, it is impossible 
to give a general description of the climate of New York, which 
would apply with equal truth to each section of the state. We 
can only say that it is subject to great extremes of heat and 
cold ; and that, although in the same latitude, which in Europe 
produces the fig, the olive and the grape, its more severe cli- 
mate admits only of the culture of the hardier plants and grains. 
The state, though subject to sudden and severe changes, 
may be considered healthy. The number of deaths to the popu- 
lation is not greater than in the other states ; nor do malignant 
diseases prevail to any considerable extent. 

* The facts on which this article is based have been collected from a chapter 
on the climate of the state in Gordon's Gazetteer; from the reports of the Re- 
gentsof the University ; and froma paper in the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 



CLIMATE. 



19 



In the eastern counties, consumption and other diseases of the lungs are the 
prevailing maladies ; in the western counties, bilious affections are more preva- 
lent. Cholera Infantum is a common and fatal disease with children in the 
cities and large towns, during the summer and autumn. 

It has been ascertained, by numerous observations made in this state and New 
England, that an elevation of surface of 350 feet produces a diminution of heat, 
equal to the addition of a degree of latitude. Hence we see the influence of our 
mountain systems upon the climate of the state. 

In order to present more clearly the peculiar characteristics of 
the climate to the scholar, we shall divide the state into six dis- 
tricts, viz. 1st, Long Island; 2d, The valley of the Hudson; 3d, 
The valley of the Mohawk; 4th, The district north, and north 
east of the Mohawk, extending from Lake Ontario to Lake 
Champlain ; 5th, The district south and south west of the valley 
of the Mohawk, extending from the valley of the Hudson to 
the smaller Lakes; and 6th, The country west of the smaller 
Lakes. 

The following table, prepared with great care, exhibits the mean, or average 
temperature ; the mean annual maximum, or highest degree of heat ; the mean 
annual minimum, or lowest degree of temperature ; the average annual range of 
the Thermometer ; and several other particulars, which show the length and for- 
wardness of the seasons, and the progress of vegetation. It contains the results 
of observations made at 59 different places, for a period of 15 years. 

TABLE OF THE CLIMATE OF NEW YORK. 



Facts observed. 


Average 
Date. 


No. of 
Locations of 
Observations. 


No. of 
Observations. 


Robins first seen, - March 19, 
.Shadbush in bloom, - - May 1, 
*Peac.h in bloom, - - - May 2, 
Currants in bloom, - - May 4, 
Plum in bloom, - - - May 6, 
Cherry in bloom, - - May 7, 
Apple in bloom, - - - (May 15, 
Lilac in bloom, - IMay 15, 
Strawberries ripe, - - - |June 12, 
Hay harvest commenced, - July S, 
Wheat harvest commenced, - July 25, 
First killing frost, - - Sept. 23 
First fall of snow, - - - 'Nov. 5, 


44 
48 
57 
53 
52 
52 
59 
45 
58 
34 
45 
57 


266 
168 
175 
269 
264 
250 
374 
151 
210 
127 
186 
471 
536 


Mean, or average temperature, i 46° 49' 
Mean annual maximum of heat, j 92° 00' 
Mean annual minimum, below zero, ! 12° 00' 
Mean ann. range of the thermometer, 104° 00' 


59 

59 
59 
59 


577 
550 
551 
550 



We will now proceed to consider the climate of the several districts, into which 
we have divided the state, in their order. 

1st District. Long Island. 

The climate of this district is remarkable for the uniformity of its temperature. 
The greatest heat of summer is on an average 1^° less, and the greatest cold of 
winter from 10° to 18° less, than in other parts of the state. 

The spring is somewhat backward, trees blooming a week later than in the in- 
terior of the state ; yet strawberries ripen, and the wheat harvest commences 
earlier than the average of the state. 

* This is the average for the southern and middle portion of the state only. 



20 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Frost occurs at a much later period in autumn, than in any other section. At 
East Hampton, it is a full month, and at Jamaica and Flatbush, nearly three 
weeks, later than the average of the state. 

2d District. The Valley of the Hudson. 

This valley is remarkable for the great annual range of the thermometer ; the 
heat of summer and the cold of winter being equally intense. The average tem- 
perature of Albany is nearly 2° higher than that of the state. The extreme cold 
of winter at Kinderhook, Lansingburgh, Cambridge, Salem and Granville, causes 
the mercury to sink 10° lower than in the southern towns of the valley. The 
spring opens a week or ten days later, at Albany, and above that city, than at the 
city of New York. 

3d District. Valley of the Mohawk. 

The average annual temperature of this valley is 1° less than that of the state. 
Northerly and easterly winds prevail in this section. The latter seems to be 
a diversion of the south, or south west wind, which prevails in the valley of the 
Hudson. 

Utica, in this district, may be considered as a fair representative of the general 
climate of the 6tate, as its temperature is about the average temperature of the 
whole state. 

4th District. North and North East of the Valley of the Mohawk. 

The climate of this region is characterized by a low average temperature, ex- 
treme cold in winter, great range of the thermometer, backward seasons, and 
early frosts. 

Gouverneur, in St. Lawrence Co. reports a lower degree of temperature in 
winter, and with one exception, a lower annual average of temperature, than any 
other town in the state, from which meteorological records have been received. 

The average annual temperature of the whole district is more than 2° lower 
than that of the remainder of the state. 

5th District. The Region South of the Mohawk, extending to the 
smaller Lakes. 

The average annuaftemperature of this section is about 2° lower than that of 
the state, and the autumnal frosts occur from 4 to 13 days earlier. Vegetation is 
uniformly backward, yet the robin appears earlier than in other sections. 

Pompey, in Onondaga county, is the coldest place reported, its annual tempera- 
ture being 3*° lower than that of the state; yet the cold of winter is not so in- 
tense, nor do the autumnal frosts occur as early there, as in the state generally. 
6th District. That portion of the State West of the small Lakes. 

The climate of this section, like that of Long Island, is characterized by uni- 
formity. The mean temperature does not differ materially from that of the 
whole state, but the average annual range of the thermometer is only 96°, while 
that of the state is 104°. 

Vegetation in the spring is somewhat in advance of the state generally, cor- 
responding with that of Albany. 

The prevalent local wind of this region is from the southwest. In the autumn 
it is violent throughout the whole section, and frequently attended with rain ; but 
on Lake Erie, probably owing to its meeting with other currents of wind, it fre- 
quently manifests extraordinary fury in September and October, and occasionally 
produces disastrous shipwrecks. 

The extreme heat of summer is very uniform throughout the state. Only 5 
places, out of 55, show a difference of over 3° from the average of the state, 
which is 92°. 

The average time throughout the whole state, from the blooming of the apple 
tree, to the first killing frost in autumn, is 174 days. On the west end of Long 
Island it is 12£ days more ; and in St Lawrence county 22 days less. These 
are the extremes. 



NATURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 



I. GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 

Geology may be defined as that science which treats of the struc- 
ture of the earth, and the substances which compose it. 

An examination of the banks of rivers, the sides of precipices, &c, 
shows that there are two kinds, or classes of rocks; the one being de- 
posited in layers, or strata, of variable thickness, are called stratified 
rocks, and bear evidence of having been, at some remote period, de- 
posited as a sediment, from water ; the other irregular in shape, con- 
taining numerous crystals, and most of the metals in common use, and 
forming the basis of the lofty mountain chains, are termed unstratified 
rocks, and were undoubtedly brought into their present form by the 
action of fire, which then existed, and probably still exists, in the in- 
terior of the earth. 

Granite is the principal constituent of the unstratified rocks, and 
probably formed the original crust of the earth. It still exists below 
all the other rocks. Owing, however, to violent convulsions of na- 
ture, (such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, &c.,) which have 
occurred since the layers above it were deposited, it has in many 
places been forced up through fissures in these layers, so as to ap- 
pear on the surface, or has raised them up, so as to form mountains or 
hills. If these were still covered with water, or became again sub- 
merged by a subsequent convulsion, new layers were again deposited, 
frequently at considerable angles with the first deposit. 

The figure represents such an occurrence. 




a, represents the unstratified rock upon which the layers b, b, had 
been deposited in a horizontal position ; but by a convulsion of na- 
ture, the whole mass had been upheaved, and the granite had forced 
2* 



22 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

its way to the surface ; being however still submerged, new layers 
c, c, were deposited, at an angle of nearly 45° with the first. 

Hypersthene and primitive limestone also occur among the un- 
stratified rocks. 

The Stratified Rocks are divided into six orders or systems, 
as they are called; viz., — beginning at the lowest strata, or those next 
succeeding the unstratified rocks, we have, 

I. The Primary, or Primitive System, consisting of disinte- 
grated granite, deposited by the waters ; and probably again modified 
by the action of the subterranean heat. 

The rocks, composing this system, are known as gneiss, mica schist, 
and hornblende. There is no evidence of the existence of either 
animal or vegetable life, during the period while this strata were de- 
positing. Nearly all the metals, used in the arts, are found in these 
rocks, and in the granite on which they rest. 

II. The Transition System. This system embraces a great 
variety of formations, and occupies a large portion of the crust of the 
earth. Its lower strata consist of limestones, sandstones, and shales 
or slaty rocks. Above these, is a layer of sandstone, known as the 
old red sandstone, which is succeeded by a limestone, forming the 
bed of the vast coal formations, which furnish so large an amount of 
fuel to the world. Over these is deposited a magnesian limestone, 
and another layer of red sandstone, distinguished as the new red 
sandstone. 

The period, when these deposits were made, was characterized by 
extraordinary luxuriance of vegetable life. The coal deposits are all 
of vegetable origin, and were reduced to their present form, by the 
influence of heat, decay and pressure. In the rocks belonging, to 
this system are also found, in immense quantities, the lower orders 
of animals, shell fish, snails, and a few fishes, and amphibious rep- 
tiles. None of them, however, belong to species now known to be in 
existence. 

III. The Secondary System, composed of oolitic limestone, 
greensand, and chalk. This system contains a large number of fos- 
sils, both animal and vegetable. Among the former are those gigan- 
tic amphibious animals, mostly belonging to the lizard and crocodile 
tribes, whose skeletons, found both on this continent and in Europe, 
have excited so much attention. There are also many shells, fishes, 
insects, and a few quadrupeds. Several hundreds of species of plants 
have been found in the secondary rocks. These fossils, vegetable 
and animal, with scarcely an exception, belong to extinct species. 

IV. The Tertiary System. This consists of deposits of clay, 
sand and gravel, in some instances hardened into rock, but generally 
containing evidence of the comparative recentness of its deposition. 
It contains an immense number of fossils, both animal and vegetable ; 
of these about 12 per cent, have been identified as belonging to ex- 
isting species, and the remainder generally bear a marked resem- 
blance to plants and animals now in existence, which the fossils of 
the earlier periods do not. 

V. The Diluvial. Deposits, called also the erratic block group. 
In thi system are included the boulders, scattered so abundantly over 
many sections of the earth's surface, and many of the more extensive 
deposits of sand, gravel and clay, which are evidently the result of 



GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 23 

the resistless action of an overwhelming deluge. These deposits con- 
tain numerous animal and vegetable forms, the greater part of which 
belong to existing species, although occasionally extinct races are 
found. 

VL The Alluvial Deposits, including the deltas, or earthy de- 
posits at the mouths of rivers, the beds of lakes which have be- 
come drained, the valleys of rivers subject to periodical inunda- 
tions, the shores of oceans, seas, &c. 

These also contain, in untold quantities, relics of animal and vege- 
table existence, but, with very few exceptions belonging to races now 
known. The gigantic mastodon has been found in these deposits. 

We have been thus particular in noticing the fossils belonging to 
each system, because they serve as way-marks, by the aid of which, 
even the most unlettered may read the progress of the earth's history, 
from the period, when it was first set in motion, avast mass of molten 
granite, devoid of vegetable or animal life, to the present time, when 
its green fields, and its innumerable hosts of living and moving be- 
ings, attest with myriad voices, the power and wisdom of the great 
Creator. 

The whole of these formations do not exist in every part of the 
world ; but wherever geological explorations have been made, it has 
been found that the same order is observed; and, that, although 
some one, or more, of these systems are absent, those which are 
present follow the arrangement we have described. 

In the state of New York the secondary formation is wanting,* as 
well as the upper members of the transition system,* and in most 
parts of the state the tertiary system. 

It will be seen, by the following table, that coal is not laid down 
among the formations of the state. All the formations of New York, 
except the alluvial and diluvial deposits, and the beds of tertiary, on 
the St. Lawrence, are below the coal measures ; the Catskill group, 
which is the highest member of the transition system in New York, 
being the layer immediately beneath it. 

It is true that there are layers of Anthracite, an inch or two in thick- 
ness, and extending over a few feet of surface, between the strata of 
rocks of an earlier era, in various parts of the state ; but coal does not 
exist in the state, in sufficient quantities to be of any practical value. 
This deficiency, however, is abundantly made up by the vast coal 
fields of Pennsylvania and Ohio, which, by means of the extended 
systems of internal improvement, are rendered so easily accessible. 

The prevalence of limestone in nearly all the formations is worthy 
of notice, affording, as it does, the basis rock best adapted to yield the 
materials for fertilizing the soil. 

The table exhibits the geological formations of the state, accord- 
ing to the arrangement adopted by the state geologists in their late 
survey. 

III., IV. and V. of this arrangement are comprised under the general 
head of the Transition system, heretofore described. 

* The existence of a small bed of oolite in Saratoga county, and the somewhat 
doubtful era of the red sandstone of Rockland couniy, can scarcely be considered 
as exceptions to this statement. 



24 



TATE OF NEW YORK. 



TABULAR VIEW OF THE ROCKS OF NEW YORK , ARRANGED 
SYSTEMS, GROUPS AND FORMATIONS. 



Systems. Groups. 


Formations. 


I. Alluvial. 


Alluvial. 




II. Diluvial. 


Diluvial, including 

boulders, &c. 
Clays and sands. 




III. Old Red sand 
stone system. 


Old Red sandstone, 
or Catskill group. 


Conglomerate, 
Old Red sandstone. 


IV. New York tran J 
sition system. 


Erie group, 


Chemung sandstones and flagstones, 
Ludlovvville shales. 


Helderberg series, 


Helderberg limestone, 
Schoharie grit, 

Brown argillaceous sandstone, 
Encrinal limestone, 
Oriskany sandstone, 
Green shaly limestone, 
Pentamerus limestone. 


Ontario group, 


Onondaga salt and gypseous rocks, 
Limestone and green shales, 
Argillaceous iron ore, 
Medina sandstone, soft, green and va- 
riegated. 


Champlain group, 


Grey sandstone and conglomerate, 
Lorraine shales and roofing slates, 
Utica slate, 
Trenton limestone, 
Birdseye limestone, 
Chazy limestone, 
Calciferous sandrock, 
Potsdam sandstone. 


V. Taghkanic, or Ta- 
conic system. 




Light green shales, sometimes dark and 

plumbaginous. 
Grey and clouded limestone, 
Brown sandstone. 


VI. Gneiss, or Primary 
system. 




Gneiss, hornblende, and mica slate, 
Talcose slate and steatite. 


VII. Superincumbent 
rocks. 




Greenstone, trap and porphyry. 

Granite, Hypersthene rock. 
Primary limestone, serpentine, 
Magnetic iron ore. 


VIII. Unstratified 
rocks. 





There are in the state two tracts of primary and unstratified 
rocks. The first is nearly circular in form, and occupies the counties 
of Essex, Warren and Hamilton, and portions of Saratoga, Fulton, 
Herkimer, Oneida, Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Franklin and 
Clinton. The Black river forms its southwestern boundary, from 
Wilna, in Jefferson, toRemsen, in Oneida county. 

The second is in the southeastern part of the state, of a somewhat 
triangular form, and comprises Putnam and Westchester, together 
with the larger part of New York, and part of Rockland, Orange and 
Dutchess counties. 

These two se«tions together occupy nearly one third of the state. 



GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 25 

They contain extensive and valuable mines of iron, lead and plumba- 
go, both in the northeastern and southeastern portions of the state. 
Their surface is generally broken and elevated, towering up to the 
height of more than a mile above tide water, in the Adirondack 
group, and attaining a considerable, though less lofty altitude in the 
beetling cliffs which overlook the waters of the Hudson. 

The soil is less arable and fertile than in the lands of the limestone 
formations, but is covered, except in the older counties, with a gigantic 
growth of oak, pine and hemlock timber. 

The gneiss of this system furnishes a fine building material, and 
under the name of granite, is abundantly quarried for that purpose. 
The serpentine, primitive limestone, and steatite, are also largely 
quarried for the purposes of the arts. 

These rocks abound in minerals of great interest to the mineralo- 
gist. Garnet, beryl, chrysoberyl, pyroxene, sphene, tourmaline, 
apatite, colophonite, scapolite, Labradorite, epidote, &c &c. 

Geologists differ in opinion, on the question, whether the Taghkanic, 
orTaconic system should be ranked with the Primary, or the Transi- 
tion system. It is composed of brown sandstone, limestone and green 
shales, or slaty rocks. It contains some minerals, and furnishes a 
fine limestone for building, but has few, or no fossils. The soil 
which overlays this system is generally good, and often highly 
fertile. 

Its range is quite extensive, although frequently of no great width. 
It comprises nearly the whole of the counties of Washington, Rens- 
selaer and Columbia, part of Dutchess, Ulster, Greene, Albany and 
Saratoga, and trending westward occupies a narrow tract in Schenec- 
tady, Montgomery, Herkimer and Oneida, and expands more widely 
in Oswego and Jefferson counties. 

We next come to the New York system, as it has been appropri- 
ately named, comprising, according to the table, four distinct groups. 
We commence with the lowest of these, the Champlain Group. 
The constituents of this group are various kinds of sandstone and 
limestone, slate, conglomerate, and a peculiar stone, compounded of 
lime and sandstone, and hence called calciferous (or limebearing) 
sandrock. 

Of these the Potsdam sandstone furnishes a beautiful and durable 
building material, and is also used in the manufacture of glass, and 
the preparation of sand paper. The Trenton and birdseye* limestones 
are used for the purposes of the arts. The Lorraine shales, and the 
Utica slate are employed for roofing, and to some extent for writing 
slates. The grey sandstone and conglomerate furnish stone suitable 
for grindstones. 

The rocks of this group, and particularly the limestones and slates, 
abound in fossils of the earlier periods ; encrinites, trilobites and nu- 
merous others, unlike any of the crustaceous animals now in exist- 
ence. 

The soil, throughout the territory occupied by this group, is gener- 
ally good, and much of it is highly fertile, being constantly enriched 
by the decomposition of the limestone, slate and sandstone, which is 

* This limestone receives its name from the abundance of encrinites which it 
contains, which give it, when polished, an appearance somewhat resembling 
birdseye maple. 



Xb STATE OF NEW YORK. 

effected by the combined action of air and water. The group occu- 
pies a very considerable, but irregular territory. It appears occa- 
sionally in small beds, then dips beneath the surface, and again ap- 
pears, as the surface rock, over an extensive tract. In the forms of 
Potsdam sandstone, calciferous sandrock, birdseye and Trenton lime- 
stone, and Utica slate, it bounds the great primary region of the 
northeast in every direction, varying in width from two to fifty miles. 
It also makes its appearance in narrow beds on either side of the 
Hudson. 

The Ontario Group, which comes next in order, consists of three 
distinct portions; the lowest a marly sandstone, generally soft, and 
either red, green, brown, or variegated, — decomposing rapidly, when 
exposed to the atmosphere, and denominated Medina sandstone ; 
next, a series of soft, green, slaty rocks, also easily decomposed, and 
overlaid by clayey and flinty limestones, alternating with each other, 
and finally terminating in the limestone over which the Niagara 
pours its resistless cataract ; and lastly a group of limestones, contain- 
ing gypsum or plaster of Paris, water lime and salt, known as the 
Onondaga salt group. 

This group, considered with reference to practical purposes, is the 
most valuable of the transition system in the state. It includes the 
salt springs in Salina and its vicinity, and at Montezuma, which yield 
so large an amount of revenue to the state ; the gypsum beds, which 
furnish such inexhaustible resources for the fertilization of the soil, 
as well as for the various purposes of the arts, to which this valuable 
mineral is applied ; and the water lime, called, after its preparation, 
hydraulic cement, a material indispensable to the proper construc- 
tion of canals, aqueducts, cisterns, and other masonry exposed to the 
action of water, and one which has proved of the greatest service in 
the construction of the public works of the state. 

The fossils of this group are numerous and interesting. Shells of 
bivalve molluscous animals, corallines and madrepores, together with 
unequivocal traces of vegetable existence, mark this era. 

Its minerals are not numerous. The clayey limestones contain 
iron ore ; fluor spar and selenite appear occasionally, and sulphur 
springs gush up from different sections. Its soil is of unsurpassed 
and perpetual fertility, being constantly enriched by the slowly 
decomposing lime and gypsum. It is the granary of the state, and 
before the wide prairies of the west waved with the golden grain, 
it supplied nearly the whole country with bread-stuffs. The oak, 
beech, maple, elm, butternut, hickory and black walnut, are the prin- 
cipal forest trees. The Ontario group commences at the southwest- 
ern extremity of Lake Ontario in Canada, and extends eastward with 
a medium breadth of twenty miles to its termination in Montgomery 
county. 

The Helderberg series comprises four kinds of limestone and three 
of sandstone. Of these the Helderberg limestone is extensively used 
as a flagging stone, under various local names; it is also employed to 
some extent as a building material ; the Oriskany sandstone is also 
used as a building material; it occasionally contains lime. Of the 
remaining layers, one of the sandstones is dark, shaly and brittle ; the 
other calcareous and abounding in fossils. Two of the limestones 
contain large quantities of fossils, and derive their names from that 



GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 27 

fact ; in one the encrinite, one of the most beautiful of the crustace- 
ous fossils, is predominant ; in the other, the pentamerus, whose 
shell bears some resemblance, in form, to that of the common oyster. 
The remaining limestone is slaty and easily decomposed. 

The Helderberg limestone is cavernous, and many of its caves 
have been explored for a considerable distance. They contain sta- 
lactites and stalagmites of great beauty. 

The principal minerals of this formation are bog iron ore, calcareous 
and fluor spar, jasper, sulphate of strontian, in great abundance, 
satin spar, alum, bitumen and small veins of anthracite. The soil, 
overlying these rocks, is generally either a fine clay, or sand lying 
upon clay. Marl occurs quite frequently. By suitable cultivation it 
yields good crops of wheat and other grains. The timber is usually 
oak, chestnut, hickory, pine and hemlock. 

This group occupies a narrow tract, commencing in the western 
part of Orange countv, and passing northeasterly through Ulster to 
the Hudson ; thence along the banks of that river, to Albany county, 
where it turns westwardly, passes through the centre of the state im- 
mediately south of the Ontario group, forming the bed of most of the 
small lakes in western New York, and terminates on the shores of 
Lake Erie. 

The Erie Group is divisible into two portions, the lower, denomin- 
ated Ludlowville shales, is composed of soft slaty rocks, alternating 
with thin beds of limestone, and is easily decomposed ; the upper, 
called the Chemung group, consists of thin, even beds of gray sand- 
stone, with intervening shales, or beds of slate. 

Some of the fossils, found in this group, possess great beauty, and 
show the approach to that period of vegetable luxuriance, which 
marks the coal formation. Ferns, and other vegetable fossils fre- 
quently occur, and the avicula, delthyrisand other shell fish, strongly 
resembling some living species, are found imbedded in the rocks. 

The minerals of this group are few, and of no great importance. 
Petroleum, or mineral oil, called, in some parts of the state, Seneca oil, 
occurs in several localities, and the shale is often so strongly impreg- 
nated with it as to burn quite freely. Carburetted hydrogen, or in- 
flammable gas, also issues from the surface in a number of places, and 
in such quantities, as to be used, in one or two instances, for illumin- 
ating villages, light houses, &c. 

The soil where the Ludlowville shales form the surface rock, 
though apparently rough and broken, is rendered fertile by the con- 
stanf decomposition of the rock. It is well adapted to the culture of 
wheat and other grains. As we ascend, to the more elevated surface 
of the Chemung sandstone, we find a marked change in the character 
of the soil; the white pine and hemlock take the place of the oak, 
maple and beech of the lower lands, and attain a gigantic growth. 
These lands produce the grasses luxuriantly, and, as they become 
cleared, will afford pasturage to vast herds of cattle and sheep. 

The Erie group covers nearlv the whole of Chautauque, Cattarau- 
gus, Wyoming, Allegany, Steuben, Yates, Tompkins, Chemung and 
Tioga counties, together with portions of Broome, Chenango, Cort- 
land, Ontario, Livingston, Genesee and Erie, as well as a narrow 
tract in Sullivan, Ulster, Greene, Schoharie and Otsego counties 
This completes what, for convenience, has been termed the New 



28 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

York Transition system. The remaining group properly belongs to 
the Transition system of the English Geologists, and is by them de- 
nominated the Old Red sandstone, that rook being its principal con- 
stituent. The State Geologists, from the fact of its being the pre- 
dominant rock of the Catskill mountains, have given it the name of 
the Catskill group. 

It consists of two distinct formations, viz., the Old Red sandstone 
overlying the Chemung sandstone, and the conglomerate strata, which 
are immediately beneath the coal bearing limestone of Pennsylvania. 
Between the layers of the former are interposed soft shales combined 
with mica. 

The sandstone is generally of a deep red color, and imparts the 
same hue to the soil which covers it. It contains comparatively few 
fossils; the scales and bones of some lizard-like fish have been dis- 
covered in it. 

The minerals of this group are few, and of but little importance. 
Bog iron ore and calcareous spar are those most worthy of notice. 
The conglomerate affords fine grindstones, and has been used to some 
extent for millstones. 

The soil is generally good ; the sandstone decomposing readily 
under atmospheric influence, mingles with the vegetable mould and 
renders it fertile. Hemlock, beech, maple, elm, basswood, butternut, 
&c. are the principal timber trees ; the oak is seldom found in this 
formation. 

The Red sandstone of the Catskill group is mostly confined to the 
vicinity of the Kaatsbergs ; occupying the county of Delaware, and 
portions of Sullivan, Ulster, Greene, Otsego, Chenango and Broome; 
but the conglomerate extends westward, and caps the highest hills of 
the southwestern counties. 

The Diluvial deposits skirt the shores of the St. Lawrence, Lake 
Champlain, and the Hudson, and compose the surface of the northern 
half of Long Island. They consist of a stiff blue clay beneath, a 
yellowish brown clay above this, and sand on the surface. The ma- 
rine shells, found in these clays, belonging in some instances to ex- 
tinct species, show that these deposits were made at an earlier period 
than those thrown down by rivers or oceans, in modern times. To 
this system belong also the boulders, scattered so widely over the 
state. 

The Alluvial deposits, consisting of gravel, sand, loam, &c. thrown 
up by the waves, or deposited on the shores of lakes, and the banks 
of rivers, and still in the process of aggregation, constitute the last of 
the geological formations of the state. To these belong portions of 
the valleys of the rivers and lakes and the southern half of Long 
Island. The soil of both these classes of deposits is usually fertile. 
The class of rocks known as trap and porphyry, do not, in this state, 
constitute a separate formation. They occur either in columnar masses 
like the Palisades, on the west bank of the Hudson, near New York, 
or in narrow veins or dikes, traversing rocks of an entirely different 
constitution. They are evidently the result of the action of subterra- 
nean fire. Porphyry is only found occupying a tract of a few mile9 
in length, on Lake Champlain. 

In connexion with the Geology of the state, the " Ridge road" is 
deserving of notice. This road consists of a bank of sand, gravel and 



GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 29 

other alluvia] and diluvial deposits, varying in height from 100 to 150 
feet, and extending along the whole southern coast of Lake Ontario, 
at a distance of six or eight miles from it, forming a natural highway. 
It is said that a somewhat similar ridge exists along the northern 
shore of the Lake. 

That this ridge once, and at no very distant period, formed the south- 
ern shore of the lake, is proved, hy the existence of small sand hil- 
locks, evidently heaped up by the action of the waves; by the entire 
absence of Indian mounds and fortifications, on the north side of the 
ridge, and their frequent appearance, immediately south of it ; and 
above all, by the structure and composition of the ridge itself. 

The deep channels, cut in the rocks, by many of the rivers of the 
state, are also a subject of geological interest. The Hudson, St. Law- 
rence, Oswego, and some of the northern streams, either have banks 
regularly sloping to the water's edge, or, if they occasionally pass 
through narrow and precipitous defiles, have not won for themselves 
a passage, by the action of their waters upon the rocky barrier which 
opposed them, but have availed themselves of a route opened bv 
some convulsion of nature. 

Such is not the case with the Mohawk, the Chenango, the Genesee, 
and the Niagara. Descending from elevated table lands, they have, 
by their ceaseless flow, hewn out a channel through the shales, slates 
and marly sand and limestones, in some instances 400 or 500 feet be- 
low the level of the surrounding country. The constant action of the 
waters upon these decomposing rocks has also caused the falls of 
Niagara to recede, as some geologists conjecture, a distance of five or 
six miles, and this recession is still in progress. 

Mineralogy. We have already adverted to the minerals, pecu- 
liar to the different formations, but a somewhat more particular de- 
scription of the mineral wealth of the state seems requisite, in a work 
like ours. 

Among the useful metals, Iron is most abundant in New York. It 
is found in five forms. 

1st. The Magnetic Oxide, most abundant in Essex, Clinton, 
Franklin, Warren. Orange and Putnam counties, but occurring also 
in considerable quantities in Lewis, St. Lawrence and Jefferson. 
This variety is adapted to the production of malleable iron and steel, 
and for this purpose is superior to any in the United States, and 
equal to most of the foreign ores. The quantity is immense, a single 
vein (the Sandford vein in Newcomb, Essex county,) being estimated 
by Prof. Emmons to contain ore sufficient to yield at least? three mil- 
lions of tons, of malleable iron ; several other veins, in the same neigh- 
borhood, contain nearly as much more, and the mines of Orange coun- 
ty, though worked for nearly a century, are still very productive. 
This ore is confined to primary rocks. 

^ 2d. The Specular Oxide, 'found in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and 
Franklin counties, imbedded in sandstone. This variety is well 
adapted to castings. Though less abundant than the preceding, it is 
found in large quantities. 

3d. The Argillaceous ore, called also bog iron ore, found in vari- 
ous parts of the state, evidently deposited by alluvial and diluvial 
action, in the clay or gravel. It is principally used for castings. 



30 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

4th. The Hematitic ore, frequently occurring in crystals of fantas- 
tic and beautiful forms. This ore occurs extensively in Richmond, 
Orange, Ulster, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia, Warren and Wayne 
counties. It is also found in smaller quantities in Rockland and 
Westchester. It usually makes its appearance in the lower lime- 
stones of the transition system. When combined with the magnetic 
oxide, it improves its quality. 

5th. The Carburet of Iron, called also Black lead, Plumbago and 
graphite, occurs abundantly in Dutchess county, and in considerable 
quantities in Essex and Clinton counties. 

Lead is found, in immense quantities, atRossie and its vicinity, in 
St. Lawrence county, and less abundantly in the Shawangunk moun- 
tains, in Sullivan and Ulster, and in Dutchess, Columbia, Lewis and 
Monroe counties. It does not seem to be confined to any particular 
geological era, occurring in nearly all the formations. 

Zinc and Copper occur in various parts of the state, but not in 
sufficient quantities to be of much practical value. 

Arsenic has been discovered in Putnam county. 

Manganese, in the form of manganese wad, occurs in Columbia. 
Lewis and Dutchess counties, and is used to some extent for bleach- 
ing. Manganesian garnet is found in New York county. 

Barytes and Strontian are abundant in Schoharie and Jefferson, 
and probably exist in some of the other counties. 

Alum, principally in the form of efflorescence, is found in several 
parts of the state. 

The existence and value of the deposits of gypsum, and water lime, 
has already been noticed, in speaking of the Onondaga salt group. 

Serpentine and its allied minerals, soapstone,ta!c, carbonate, hy- 
drate and sulphate of magnesia, (Epsom salts,) together with as- 
bestus and amianthus, occur abundantly in Putnam, Orange, West- 
chester, Jefferson and St. Lawrence, and in considerable quantities in 
Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Albany, Cayuga, Essex, Rensselaer and 
Niagara counties. 

Those minerals, which are only of interest to the mineralogist, are 
enumerated under the counties in which they occur. 

Mineral, Springs. These are of various kinds. 

1. Chalybeate Springs. The most celebrated of these, are those 
of Saratoga county, which are fully described in another part of the 
work. There are a few, but of no great strength or notoriety, in other 
parts of the state. 

2. Sulphur Springs. These are widely disseminated. Those at 
Avon, in Livingston county, have attained the greatest celebrity. 
Those in the vicinity of Rochester, Monroe county, and Chittenango, 
Madison county, are perhaps next in importance. The State Geolo- 
gists report sulphur springs in twenty-eight counties of the state 

3. Brine Springs occur in every part of the Onondaga salt forma- 
tion, and are also found, though of less strength, in other parts of the 
state. They are supposed to be impregnated by deposits of rock salt, 
at some distance below the surface. Those in the towns of Salina and 
Montezuma are the most important and valuable. 

4. Acid Spri?igs, or those in which the water is strongly impreg- 
nated with sulphuric acid, are found in Genesee, Erie and Orleans 
counties. 



GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. 31 

5. Petrifying Springs, so highly charged with carbonate of lime 
as to deposit it upon whatever the water falls, and thus give it a coat- 
ing of limestone, are found in Madison and Saratoga counties. 

0. Oil Springs, the waters of which are covered with a thick pelli- 
cle of Petroleum, or mineral oil, are found in Cattaraugus and Allega- 
ny counties. 

7. Springs evolving Nitrogen Gas. The most celebrated of these 
are those of New Lebanon, in Columbia county, and of Hoosick, in 
Rensselaer county. There is also one, of some note, near Canoga, in 
Seneca county. 

8. Springs evolving Carburetted Hydrogen, or inflammable gas. 
These abound in the neighborhood of Lake Erie, and the Niagara 
river. The village of Fredonia, and the light house at Barcelona, in 
Chautauque county, are illuminated by them. Springs of the same 
character are also found in Dutchess, Oneida and Monroe counties. 

Marl, a valuable fertilizing agent, exists in vast beds in Madison, 
Monroe, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange and 
Wayne counties, and in considerable abundance in Rensselaer, Wash 
ington, Saratoga, Albany, Schoharie, Herkimer, Cortland, Oneida, 
St. Lawrence, Niagara and Erie counties. 

Peat is less widely distributed. It occurs, however, on Long Isl- 
and, and in Richmond, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, Putnam, West- 
chester, Columbia, Clinton, Oneida and Cattaraugus counties. The 
attention of farmers should be directed to this, on account of its value, 
both for fuel, and as a manure. 

The gneiss and granite of the primary region, as we have already 
remarked, form elegant and durable building materials. The Pots- 
dam sandstone, from its power of resisting atmospheric influence, 
and the facility with which it may be cut in any desired shape, is 
highly valued for building. The Chemung gray sandstone and the 
red sandstone of Rockland county are also prized by builders. The 
Medina sandstone is more liable to decomposition, but is used to 
some extent. 

The limestone formations furnish a great number of varieties of 
marble, suitable not only for architectural purposes, but for the arts. 
The most celebrated ornamental varieties are the black marble of 
Glen's falls, which equals any of the foreign varieties ; the Chazy 
black marble, considered as fully equal to the best Irish ; the varie- 
gated marbles of St. Lawrence and Rockland counties; the slate and 
dove colored of Otsego, Oneida and Onondaga ; the birdseye of the 
Champlain group ; and the white marble of Westchester, Dutchess, 
Columbia, Washington and St. Lawrence counties. The Singsing 
marble is largely employed, as a building stone, in New York city. 
The serpentine rocks, in several parts of the state, afford slabs, of suffi- 
cient size, to be used for the manufacture of furniture. The Utica 
slate, and some of the slate formations in the northern part of the 
state, furnish slates of excellent quality, both for roofing and writing. 

The gray sandstones and conglomerate of the Champlain and Erie 
groups, furnish grindstones of superior quality, and from the Sha- 
wangunk grits, millstones have been manufactured, which compared 
well with the French buhrstone. 

It will be seen, by the brief sketch we have given of the Geology 
and Mineralogy of the state of New York, that her mineral resources 



32 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

are equal to her agricultural, commercial and manufacturing facili- 
ties. True, she does not possess coal, or so far as has yet been ascer- 
tained, the precious metals; but the former is abundantly supplied 
by the neighboring states of Pennsylvania and Ohio ; and the latter, 
paradoxical as it may seem, have never conduced to the wealth, or 
prosperity of any state, which has possessed them. 

Her mines of iron, lead and plumbago ; her salt-springs and beds of 
water lime and gypsum ; and her quarries of granite, sandstone and 
marble are, to her citizens, a more valuable inheritance than the gold 
and silver mines of Mexico, and will confer upon them a greater and 
more lasting prosperity. 



II. BOTANY. 

It would be entering into a far more elaborate view of the subject 
than the limits of this work permit, to trace out even an abstract of 
the vegetable wealth of New York. From its geographical po- 
sition, diversity of soil, surface, and climate; its holding a middle 
place between the north and south, nearly all the great features of 
the United States flora are here produced. Immense forests still oc- 
cupy the uncultivated regions north and west, consisting mainly of 
pine, oak and beech, while the chestnut, hickory and maple, with 
a host of other less numerous, but not less valuable trees, are scat- 
tered over its territory. 

The mountain sides and woods are clothed with an undergrowth 
of shrubs; as the whortleberry, rhododendron and mountain laurel; 
under whose shade, and in the open fields, flourish hundreds of more 
humble herbaceous plants, among which will be found many that are 
rare and curious, as well as of great beauty and utility. 

Anemone, Ranunculus, and Violets, often before the snow has en- 
tirely disappeared, put forth their blossoms in every sheltered nook 
of wood and meadow. These, with the cowslip (Caltha palustris), 
the woodbine (Aquilegia), bloodroot (Sanguinaria), and many of 
that wide spread tribe, the Cruciferae, or crosslike plants, serve to 
mark the opening spring. As the season advances, nature assumes 
much gayer colors. The beautiful blue Lupine (Lupinus perennis), 
Desmodiums, and the wild Sensitive plant {Cassia nictitans), whose 
leaves close together, when touched by the hand, are frequent on 
sandy soils. 

Common in our swamps and boggy ground, is the Side Saddle 
flower, or Hunter's cup (Sarracenia), bearing a single, nodding, 
dark red flower, a wonder by itself, but more so, when viewed in 
connection with the singular structure of its leaves. These are 
not flat, as in other plants, but hollow, and somewhat pitcher shaped, 
arranged in a circle around the base of the stem, their open mouths 
turned upwards to catch the falling rains. At the orifice of each leaf 
is a broad lip, furnished with short stiff hairs pointing downwards, 
and forming a trap, for numerous insects, that seek the water, always 
contained in them. A luckless fly once entered, it is impossible for 
him to return ; and he is forced to go onwards, until dropping, he 
perishes in the water beneath. Of what use, in the economy of the 
plant, these dead insects are (the cup being often half filled with 



BOTANY. 33 

them) is not, as jet, well known; but possibly they serve in some 
degree as nutriment. 

Another plant well worthy of notice for its elegance and exquisite 
fragrance, is the white Pond Lily (Nymphcea odorata). The roots, 
which are rough and knotty, creep along the muddy bottoms of ponds 
and slow-flowing streams ; while the large round leaves, of a bright 
and glossy green, cover the water above, in many instances for acres, 
contrasting well with the pure white flowers. Like the primrose and 
wonderful four o'clock, which almost serve to mark the hour, 
Nympha^a expands its buds early in the morning, and whether the 
day be clear or cloudy, before noon, regularly closes, and sinks beneath 
the surface. The leaf stalks are long and flexile, varying with the 
depth of water, and forming, as every wandering school boy knows, 
a secure retreat for fish. 

Spatter Dock, or Yellow Pond Lily (JVuphar advena), is common 
in every ditch, but an allied genus (JVelumbium), or Sacred Bean, is 
rare ; Big Sodus Bay, Lake Ontario, is the only known locality in 
the state. 

In shallow water, along the Hudson, above the Highlands, and 
through the western counties, is the Vallisneria or Tape Grass, re- 
markable for the peculiar spiral form of its stems, which always per- 
mit the flower to float upon the surface whatever may be the rise 
of tide. 

Besides those just mentioned, the more frequent plants of low 
grounds and margins of streams are the Iris, Sweet Flag, or Calamus 
root (Acorus calamus), Yellow Lily, {Lilium Canadense), Forget- 
me-not (Myosotis), whose bright blue flowers continue from early 
spring till frost, Arrow leaf (Sagittaria), Cat-tail flag (Typha pa- 
lustris), with numerous varieties of Rush {Juncus), and Sedges 
(Car ex), the last sometimes eaten by cattle, for want of more nutri- 
tious food. Virgin's bower (Clematis Virginian a), a handsome, in- 
digenous vine creeping over bushes and fences is often cultivated for 
its quick growth and abundant blossoms. 

In the Lobelia tribe, we have the Cardinal Flower (L. Cardinalis), 
noted for the splendor of its scarlet blossoms ; Indian Tobacco (L. 
Inflata), the grand panacea of the Thompsonians ; the L. Syphi- 
litica, also used by them ; Water Gladiole (L. Dortmanni), much 
less common than either of the preceding, and L. JVuttallii, con- 
fined to the sandy swamps of Long Island. 

In the deep recesses of woods and swamps, the Arum and the 
Orchis tribes are met with. Of the former, Indian Turnip (Arum 
triphyllum), well known for its acrid root, and Water Arum (Calf a 
palustris), are good examples. 

The Orchids, from the strange forms and brilliant colors of their 
contorted flowers, are well worth the trouble it takes to cultivate 
them. PI at anther a grandijlora, or tall purple Orchis, is one of 
the most beautiful, although Arethusa, Pogonia, our three spe- 
cies of Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium),a.r)d the graceful White Lady's 
Tress, are not less deserving a place in the garden. 

Plants of the great group Composite, to which the Asters and Golden- 
rods belong, forming one ninth of our entire flora, are characteristic 
of the autumnal vegetation. Some Asters are fine garden plants, 
but, like the whole class, chiefly interesting for their gorgeous appear- 



34 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

ance. From the sweet scented golden-rod (Solidago odora), a fra^ 
grant volatile oil, sometimes used in medicine, is distilled. Yarrow 
(Achillea), Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), Tansy (Tanacetwn 
vulgare), and some few others are medicinal ; most of the order, 
however, are but weeds, as every farmer who has had his lands over- 
run with Canada thistle and pigweed, can testify. The seeds of the 
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) yield, under pressure, an oil similar" 
in quality and uses to that of iinseed. Jerusalem Artichokes are 
the tuberous roots of the Helianthus tuberosus. They are too 
watery to be used as food. Neither of the two last are natives of the 
state, but they are occasionally found in waste places near habitations. 

Angelica, Sweet Cicely (Osmorrhiza), Sanicle ( Sanicula), Cicuta 
(Cicuta maculata), types of the order of umbelliferous plants are 
well known ; Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), poisonous in its wild 
state, is, when cultivated, the esculent carrot of the garden. 

Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum), by a draught of which 
Socrates is related to have died, with some other introduced and 
native plants, as the Milkweed (Asclepias), Plantain. Canada Thistle, 
Poke weed {Phytolacca decandra), Thorn Apple (Datura Stramo- 
nium^), Oxeye Daisy (Chrysanthemum), and Dandelion (Leonto" 
don), belong to a class that might be named "wayside plants/' from 
their commonly occupying a position beside the roads and fences. 

Plantain (Plaiitago major) has been called by the Indians " white 
man's footstep," because it is found wherever he has placed his 
dwelling; and with a faithfulness not equalled in the human race, 
is constantly in his path. The more it is trodden down the wide!" 
does it spread, and the more luxuriantly does it grow. 

The Eglantine or Sweet Brier (Rosa Rubiginosa), such a general 
favorite with the old and young 7 is a member of the large family 
Rosacea, of which our state can boa9t many representatives. Among 
these are the Rose, seven or eight species of Blackberry (Rubus), 
Strawberry (Fragaria), Fivefinger (Pote?itilla), (one species of 
which (P. tridentata) is a little Alpine plant found only on the 
summits of the mountains), Thornbush (Cratcegus), Service berry or 
Shad bush (Amelanchier), Wild Plum and lofty Wild Cherry, the 
last is used in Cabinet work, being as dark and heavy as some infe- 
rior kinds of mahogany. 

Of Labiatae or the mint tribe, Spearmint? or Julep weed (Mentha 
Viridis), Peppermint (M. Piperita)^ Penny Royal, Catnep, Balm, 
(Melissa) and Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum incanum), are very 
generally known. 

A few of the Nightshade tribe (Solariacece), are natives of the 
state, such as Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara), deadly Nightshade 
(S. Nigrum), and Winter Cherry (Physalis), r which are all of suspi- 
cious appearance, and reputed poisonous. 

Buckwheat is one of the Polygonacece ; and of the same order are 
the common Sorrel (Rumex acetosellaj, Water Dock (R. crispus), 
and Smart weed (Polygonum). 

Shrubby plants are numerous; many species are highly ornamental; 
others, from their virtues, are admitted into the Pharmacopseas; others, 
again, are poisonous. Of this latter class are some of the species of 
Sumach (Rhus) ; the most virulent of these, is the Swamp Sumach 
(Rhus venenata), simple contact with which, or meie exposure to its 



BOTANY. 35 

effluvium, being sufficient in many cases to cause a most painful erup- 
tion on the skin. Mercury, or Poison Oak, is less active than the pre- 
ceding, but sufficiently so, to cause all those who are easily affected by 
vegetable poisons to shun its neighborhood. The leaves of the com- 
mon Sumach {R. glabra), are used in the manufacture of morocco. 

The large flowering Rose bay {Rhododendron maximum) is a 
shrub from six to twelve feet in height, with broad and thick leaves, 
growing in tufts from the extremities of the branches ; and large 
showy flowers, in dense terminal clusters. It is said to be the most 
beautiful flowering shrub in the United States, and is sometimes 
cultivated in lawns and door-yards. 

The wild upright Honeysuckle {Azalea, or Rhododendron nudiflo- 
rum), and the broad leaved Laurel {Kalmia latifolia) make the woods 
gay by the profusion of their purple blossoms. The dwarf Laurel 
{Kalmia angustifolia), known also by the names sheep-poison and 
lamb-kill, is a pretty little bush, but has a bad reputation, the leaves 
being said to poison sheep. The last two are common in the southern 
counties, while in the west the glaucous Kalmia takes their place. 

The Elder {Sambucus Canadensis) and the Hazel {Corylus Amer- 
icanus), prized for its nuts, which, though sweeter, do not equal in 
size, the filbert of Europe, are to be seen in every coppice. Whortle- 
berries are the product of several species of Vaccinium. The ear- 
liest in the market is the dwarf blue Whortleberry ( V. Pennsylva- 
nica), growing in sandy woods, and on hill sides and summits of the 
mountains. The Bilberry ( V. corymbosum) is frequent in swamps 
and wet shady woods. The agreeably acid Cranberry, an almost 
indispensable article of food, is the fruit of two species of Vaccinium, 
{ V. oxycoccus and V. macrocarpon). The former abounds in the 
northern and western parts of the state, and the latter, which is the 
common American cranberry seen in the market, is most frequent in 
the south. 

The banks of every stream and rivulet are fringed with the Willow 
{Salix), Alder {Alnus), and Spice wood {Laurus Benzoin). This 
last is a shrub easily recognized, by its smooth brittle branches and 
glossy foliage. The bark has an agreeably spicy taste ; and a de- 
coction of the young twigs is often used, as a medicinal drink, in the 
spring of the year. In the moist thickets, conspicuous from its red 
fruit, is the Winter berry {Prinos), once used for the cure of fever and 
ague ; but, for this purpose, it is much inferior to the Dogwood {Cor- 
nus jiorida), which possesses many of the peculiar properties of Pe- 
ruvian Bark. 

Witch Hazel {Hamamelis Virginica) is, in the eyes of the super- 
stitious, a most notable shrub, because, in the moment of parting 
with its foliage, it puts forth a profusion of gaudy yellow blossoms, 
giving to November, the counterfeited appearance of spring. 

The most important vegetable productions of the state are un- 
doubtedly the forest trees, of which we can boast numerous species. 
The cone bearers {Coniferae), which are nearly all evergreen trees, 
are well represented in our Flora. We have no less than nine species 
of Pines. Pitch Pine {Piiius rigida) forms nearly all the woodland 
of Long Island, and covers a great extent of barren country, west of 
Albany ; it is serviceable for little else than fuel 3nd making charcoal. 
White, or Weymouth pine {P. strobus) is met with in most parts of 



36 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

the state, but chiefly on the head waters of the Hudson, Delaware, 
Allegany, and rivers entering into Lake Ontario : indeed nearly all 
the western counties were once covered with dense forests of this 
noble tree, nor can we wonder that it is rapidly disappearing beneath 
the axe, when 65,000 acres must be annually cleared, to meet the 
demand for lumber, 650,000,000 feet of which are obtained from New 
York alone. Hemlock Spruce (P. Canadensis) affords an inferior 
kind of timber, lasting well if protected from the weather; but in 
exposed situations it warps, splits and soon decays. The bark is 
extensively employed in tanning, and although inferior to oak, it 
makes very good leather. Balm of Gilead, or Balsam Fir (P. Bal- 
samea), is not found lower than the Catskill mountains ; but is abund- 
ant in the northern counties, especially among the Essex mountains. 
The turpentine, sold under the name of Canada Balsam, is ob- 
tained by opening the blisters which form beneath the bark. Black 
Spruce (P. nigra) is employed principally for the yards and lighter 
spars of vessels, for which purpose it is admirably fitted by its light- 
ness and strength. White Spruce (P. alba) is a small tree found in 
swamps, and on the sides of the northern mountains^ rarely south of 
Catskill. The Indians split the small tough roots into fibres for 
sewing their bark canoes. Tamarack (P. Pendula) differs from all 
other pines, in its leaves, which fall at the approach of winter. 

Belonging to the same natural family (Coniferce) are the Red Cedar 
(Juniperns Virginiana), noted for its great durability; White cedar 
(Cupressus Thuyoides) constituting the cedar swamps of Long 
Island ; Arbor Vitae ( Thuya occidentalis), conspicuous along the 
banks of the Hudson for its cone like growth ; although it is sometimes 
found in swampy places, and then is known by the name of White 
cedar. We have also the Yew (Taxus Canadensis), which is very 
different from the yew tree of Europe, though identical in Botanical 
character — with us it is a shrub of humble growth, trailing over 
rocks, and found in woods, beneath the shelter of taller evergreens. 

The Oaks are almost, if not quite, equal in value to the Pines, and 
much more numerous, as regards species. White Oak (Quercus alba) 
is always considered one of our most valuable timber trees. The 
wood is of great strength and durability, and is used when these 
qualities are required, as in ship building and heavy frame work for 
machinery. When sawed into plank, the wheelwright, the wagon- 
maker, and indeed, almost every mechanic, uses it more or less in his 
labor. Black Oak {Q. tinctoria) furnishes Quercitron bark, an 
article of export, and used in dyeing ; Scarlet Oak (Q. coccinea), and 
Black Chestnut Oak (Q. montana), are much prized by the tanner. 
Other species are Willow Oak (Q. phellos), with narrow leaves; 
Chinquapin (Q prinos), a dwarf species bearing edible acorns ; 
Swamp White Oak (Q bicolor)\ Mossy Cup Oak (Q. olivceformis) ; 
Pin Oak (Q. palustris) and Black Jack (Q. nigra) ; the last is indi- 
genous to Long Island only. 

The White Elm ( Ulmus Americana) is a most graceful species, 
and when growing in moist rich soil one of the largest of our forest 
trees. The Slippery Elm ( U. fulva), a smaller tree, growing on 
higher ground, is well known for the mucilaginous properties of its 
inne*r bark. Thomas' Elm ( U. racemosa), so named from the per- 



BOTANY. 37 

son who first described it, is rather frequent on river banks in the 
middle and western parts of the state. 

Of the Ash (Fraxinus), we have only three species, the White, 
Black and Grey. White Ash (F. America?! a) has elastic, tough 
wood, and is used in the manufacture of carriages, agricultural im- 
plements, &c From its splitting freely, it is much employed by the 
cooper for hoops. 

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharinum) is a large and handsome tree, 
well known as furnishing the maple sug^.r which is obtained, by 
boiling down the sap, procured from the trees, during the months of 
February and March — Birdseye and Curled Maple are accidental 
varieties in the wood of this species. Red Maple (A. rubrum), 
White or Silver leaved Maple {A. dasycarpum), Mountain Maple, 
or Moose wood (A. Spicatum and A. Pennsylvanicum), are the 
only other species. 

The Walnut tribe are valuable, both for food and timber. Black 
Walnut (Juglans nigra), and Butternut (J. cinerea), occur in most 
parts of the state. Shell bark Hickory (Carya alba) bears the com- 
mon white walnut, so pleasant to crack by the winter fireside. The bark 
of this tree separates in long flat scales, with loose, detached ends, 
giving the trunk a ragged appearance; Moker-nut (C. tomentosa), 
Fig-nut (C . porcina) and Bitter-nut (C. ajnara) are the only remain- 
ing New York species. 

The Beech (Fagus) and Chestnut (Castanea) are both noble grow- 
ing trees. The wood of the Beech is heavy and compact, but not 
durable. Chestnut, on the contrary, though light and open grained, 
bears exposure, for a great length of time, without decay. The Amer- 
ican Chestnut is considered a variety of the European, differing only 
in its smaller and sweeter nuts. 

The Canoe Birch is the Betula papyracea. From the bark of this 
species, which readily peels off in long thin sheets, and slips of cedar, 
the Indians manufacture their canoes. The wood of the Black Birch 
(Betula lenta), is considerably used in cabinet making. The Dwarf 
Birch (Betula nana) is an Alpine shrub, found only on the high 
mountains of Essex county. The Sycamore (PI at anus), the Poplars, 
and the Willows, are of little value, except as shade trees. Not so 
the Locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia), a tree of rapid growth and grace- 
ful form. Its wood is exceedingly hard and nearly indestructible, 
and is mostly used for trenails, and gate posts, and in ship-building. 
It is net a native of the state, but is cultivated for sale, and as an 
ornamental tree. 

The Tulip tree (Liriodendron Tulipifera) is the pride of our 
northern forests for its majestic growth, symmetrical form, and hand- 
some foliage. It not unfrequently rises to the height of seventy feet 
without a branch, and is covered in May or June with innumerable 
tulip shaped flowers. The Magnolia (Magnolia glauca) is found 
only in the swamps of Long Island, and there but sparingly. Its 
flowers exhale a heavy, but not unpleasant, perfume. One other spe- 
cies, the Cucumber tree (M. acuminata), is not uncommon in the 
western parts of the state, and is thus named from the appearance of 
the seed cone. 

Of vast importance, as furnishing directly or indirectly the food of 
man and animals, are the grasses ; and no class of plants is so widely 
3 



38 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

distributed as this. They form the principal portion of the herbage 
of the earth, giving to the hills and plains their lovely green. 

Though our Flora contains many native species, only a small num- 
ber are of value, our meadow grasses being, with few exceptions, 
of foreign origin. The principal of these are, Timothy {Phleurn pra- 
tense), making the best of hay ; Sweet Vernal grass (Anthuxanthum 
odoratum), which, when half withered, gives out a pleasant odor of 
vanilla; Meadow grass (Poa pratensis), Blue grass (P. compressa) 
and Rough grass (P. trivialis), most of which have spread over all 
our pasture grounds. Wheat (Triticwn), Rye (Secale) and Oats 
(Avena), are extensively cultivated in all parts of the state. Zizania 
aquatica, or wild rice, a favorite food of the Indians, and affording 
sustenance to myriads of wild fowl, is a native of the northern coun- 
ties. 

The Wild Oat and Chess (Bromus), into which our farmers 
wrongly believe that, wheat and rye degenerate, are common. Phrag- 
mites, the largest grass of the northern states, looking at a distance 
like broom corn, grows by the river side, and borders of swamps and 
ponds. 

Some grasses are peculiar to the sands; their matted roots, form- 
ing a thick sod, prevent the loose soil from being carried away, by 
the water or wind. Many others, by their annual decay, aid in fertili- 
zing the soil, that would otherwise be arid and unproductive. 

Ferns and Fernlike plants occupy a wide extent of territory. 
Most common of all is the Brake (Pteris), under cover of which the 
sportsman is sure to find the rabbit, or the partridge. Maiden Hair 
(Adiantum), a delicate fern, with dark brown polished stems, is not 
uncommon. The Walking Fern {Asplenium rhizuphyllum) is re- 
markable for striking root from the extremities of the fronds. The 
Climbing Fern (Lygodhim) is the only species of the tribe, with a 
twining stem, found in so high a latitude. The tall Osmunda (O. cin- 
namomea) grows in large bunches, in d;imp woods and low grounds; 
sometimes attaining the height of a man. 

Club Moss (Lycopodium), a creeping evergreen, is in great request 
at Christmas time, to form festoons and wreaths. 

The Scouring Rush (Equisetum) is used for polishing wood and 
metals. 

In the report of the recent Geological and Botanical survey, ordered 
by the legislature, the whole number of species of flowering plants, 
in the state, is said to be about 1450. Of these, 120U are herbaceous, 
and 150 may be regarded as ornamental. Of woody plants there are 
250 species, including about 80 that attain to the stature of trees. 
Of plants that are reputed medicinal, we have (native and natural- 
ized) 160 species. The naturalized plants exceed 160 species. 

We must here leave this short notice of New York plants, though 
we have, by no means, exhausted the materials, nor even touched 
upon many, that are most frequently met with, in a morning walk. 
Those who would pursue the study must seek their information in 
two large volumes, written by Dr. Torrey, which form the Botanical 
part of the Natural History of New York. 



ZOOLOGY. 39 

III. ZOOLOGY. 

Class I. Mammalia. 

By mammalia are meant, all those animals having warm blood, a 
double heart, that is, one with two auricles and two ventricles, and 
bringing forth their young alive and suckling them. Being, with a 
few exceptions, four footed animals, they are frequently called quad- 
rupeds. Naturalists have divided these into a number of distinct 
orders, of which only five are found in this state. 

These are 1st, Marsupiata, or pouched animals. One species, 
only, belonging to this order, is found in the state, viz. the opossum. 

2d, Carnivora, or flesh eaters. Of these we have five species of 
bats ; the mole and shrew mole ; six species of shrews ; the black 
bear ; the raccoon ; wolverine ; skunk ; fisher ; weasel, or black cat, 
called also Pennant's martin ; the pine martin, or American sable ; 
the small and the brown weasel ; the New York ermine, or ermine 
weasel; the mink, or minx otter; the common otter; the dog, about 
thirty varieties, five of which are native; the common wolf, two va- 
rieties, the grey, and the black; the panther ; the northern, or Cana- 
da lynx ; the wild cat, or bay lynx ; the seal ; the hooded seal ; and 
perhaps, the walrus. 

3d, Rodentia, or gnawers. Among these are the grey fox ; 
the red, striped, and flying squirrel; the woodchuck, or Maryland 
marmot; the deer mouse, or Labrador rat; the beaver; the mus- 
quash, or muskrat; the porcupine ; the Norway, or brown rat; two 
species of black rat; the common mouse; the jumping mouse; six 
species of meadow mice ; the grey rabbit ; and the northern, or prairie 
hare. 

4th, Ungulata: animals whose toes are covered with a horny 
case, or hoof. Of these, we have the hog ; the horse ; the ass ; the ox ; 
the goat , the sheep ; the American or fallow deer ; the moose ; the 
stag, and the reindeer. 

5th, Cetacta, or the whale tribe. The only species of this or- 
der, known to exist in the waters of the state, are, the right whale ; 
the sperm whale ; the beaked whale, or rorqual ; the broad nosed 
whale ; the social whale, or black whale-fish, called also the howling 
whale, and bottle head ; the common porpoise ; the grampus, or 
thrasher, also called the blackfish whale ; and the sea porpoise. 

Fossil Mammalia. Of these, but three species, it is believed, have 
been found, viz, 1st the fossil elephant, of which but a single tooth 
has been discovered. 

2d, The American elephant, of which several teeth have been 
found in Monroe county. 

3d, The mastodon, frequently, but improperly, called mammoth. 
Remains of this animal, and indeed skeletons nearly entire have been 
discovered in some 15 or 20 localities in the state, in Orange, Ulster, 
Monroe, Suffolk, Livingston, Chautauque, Albany, Cattaraugus, Gen- 
esee, and Niagara counties, 

Class II. Aves — Birds. 

Six orders of birds are found in the state, viz. 1st, Accipitres, birds 
of prey, including eagles, hawks, vultures, and owls. 

2d, Passeres, birds of passage. These include most of those 



40 



STATE OF NEW YORK. 



birds with which we are familiar, and whose departure for a more 
southern clime in autumn, renders winter more cheerless, as their 
return in spring, makes the approaching summer more joyous and 
delightful. 

3d, GallincB, the cock tribe, including not only our domesticated 
fowls, but the wild turkey, grouse, prairie hen, &c. 

4th, Grallce, Waders. This includes all those long legged birds 
which obtain their subsistence on the borders of* streams ; the plover, 
crane, heron, poke, &c. 

5th, Lobipedes, lobefooted birds ; the coot, dipper, &c. 

6th, JYatatores, swimmers. This includes loons, gulls, gannets, 
wild ducks and geese, &c. 

The following catalogue embraces all the birds, of these different 
orders, known to exist in the state. 



Family 4. Alcedinidce. 
King fisher tribe. 
Belted kingfisher. 

Family 5. Trochilidcc. 
Humming bird tribe. 
Red throated humming bird 
Family 6. Certhidcb. 
Wren tribe. 
White breasted nuthatch, 
Red bellied 
Brown creeper, 
Varied creeping Warbler, 
House Wren, 
Wood " 

Mocking " 
Marsh " 

Winter 
Short billed " 

Family 7. Parida. 
Tomtit tribe. 
Crested tit, 
Black cap " 
Carolina " 

Family 3. Sylviada. 
Blue bird tribe. 
Golden crested kinglet, 
Ruby crowned " 
Blue bird. 

Family 9. Merulidcc. 
Thrush tribe. 
Common mocking bird, 
Brown thrush, 
Cat bird, 

American Robin, 
Wood thrush, 
Hermit 

Olive backed " 
Wilson's " 

Family 10. Motacillidcc. 
Titlark tribe. 
American titlark, 

Family I. Caprimulgidce. W*g ^ lhrUSh> 

Whippoorwill tribe 
Whippoorwill, 
Night hawk. 



Order I. Accipitres. 
[Birds of prey,] 

Family I. Vulturidce. 
Vulture tribe. 
Turkey buzzard. 

Family 2. Falconidce.. 
Falcon tribe. 
Golden eagle. 
Brown or bald eagle, 
American fish hawk, 
Rough legged buzzard, 
Red tailed " 

Red shouldered " 
Broad winged " 
Swallow tailed hawk, 
Duck " 

Pigeon 

American sparrow " 
Slate colored " 

Cooper's " 

American goshawk, 
Marsh harrier, 

Family 3. Strtgidce. 
Owl tribe. 
Great horned owl, 
Snowy " 

Hawk 

Little screech " 
Great grey, " 
Long eared " 
Short eared " 
Barred 
Acadian 
American barn " 



Order II. Passeres. 
[Birds of passage.] 



I Golden crowned wagtail. 
Family II, Sylvicolidcc. 



Family 1 HirundincB. 
Swallow tribe. 
Chimney swallow, 
Purple martin, 
White bellied swallow, 
Bank ,; 

Barn 
Cliff 

Family 3. AmpeHdce. 
Fruit eaters. 
Black throated waxwing, 
Cedar bird. 



Warblers. 
Yellow throat, 
Mourning 
Worm eating 
Whistling 
Blue winged, 
Golden 
Tennessee 
Nashville 
Orange crowned 
Myrtle bird, 
Red poll 



Warbler, 



Spotted Canada Warbler, 
Spotted 

Blue grey " 

Blackburnian 
Bay breasted " 

Black poll " 

Prairie 

Blue, yellow backed " 
Black throated, blue, " 
Summer yellow bird, 
Black throated green " 
Pine 

Chestnut sided " 

Hemlock " 

Cape May " 

Kentucky, " 

Hooded " 

Green, black capped " 
Blue grey gnat-catcher, 
Family 12. Muscicapid<z. 

Fly catchers. 
American redstart, 
Small green crested fly 

catcher, 
Yellow bellied fly catcher, 
Wood pevvee, 
Phebe bird, 
Olive sided kingbird, 
Great crested " 
Family 13. Vireonida. 
Greenlet tribe. 
Yellow throated greenlet, 
Solitary 
White eyed 
Warbling 
Red eyed 
Yellow breasted chat. 

Family 14. Laniidcs. 
Shrikes. 
Northern butcherbird. 

Family 15. Corvidce. 
Crow tribe. 
Blue jay, 
Canada " 
Magpie, 
Common crow, 
Raven, 
Fish crow, 
Family 16. Quiscalidce. 
Oriole tribe. 
Common crow blaakbird, 
Rusty 

Meadow lark. 
Golden oriole, 
Orchard " 
Red winged " 
Cow bunting, 



Boblink,or Ricebird. 
Family 17. Fringillida. 
Finches. 
Blue Grosbeak, 
Rose breasted grosbeak, 
Snowbird, 

Fox colored sparrow, 
Song 

^Bay winged, " 

( or grassbird, 
White throated " 
White crowned " 
Black throated bunting, 
Yellow winged " 
Varied 

Field 

Chippingbird, 
Tree bunting, 
Savannah " 
Blue striped " 
Seaside finch, 
Quail head, 
Swamp Finch, 
(Yellowbird or 
( American gold finch, 
Fine finch, 
Lesser redpole, 
Mealy " 
Crested purple finch, 
Cardinal Grosbeak, 
\ Chewink or 
( Ground robin, 
Indieo bird, 
Red 

Black winged red bird, 
Lapland snow 
White 

Horned lark, 
Pine bull finch, 
American crossbill, 
White winged " 

Family 18. Picida. 

[Borers.] 
Woodpecker tribe. 
Crested woodpecker 
Red headed " 
Hairy 

Downy " 

Yellow billed 
Red 

Arctic " 

Banded 

$ Golden winged " 
(or High hole. 
Family 19. Cuculida. 
Cuckoo tribe. 
Yellow billed cuckoo, 
Black 
Family 20. Columbidee 
Pigeon tribe. 
Wild Pigeon, 
Carolina turtle dove. 

Order III. Galling. 

Family 1. Phasianidce. 
Pheasant tribe. 
Wild Turkey. 
Introduced and domesti- 
cated. 
Peacock, 
Guinea fowl, 
Common cock. 
Family 2. Tetraonidcc. 
Grouse tribe, 
American quail, 
Common partridge, 
Ruffed grouse, 



ZOOLOGY. 41 

i^'u^P " 56 ' • • u Family?. Phalaropodida. 
or Heath hen, prairie hen.Red Phalarope, 

$ Hyperborean lobefoot, ot 

( Sea goose, 
Wilson's Holopode. 



Spruce grouse. 

Order IV. Grall.£. 

[Waders.] 

Family l. Charadridce. 
Plovers. 
American ring plover, 
Piping " 

Wilson's " 

Kill deer 

Golden " 

Whistling 
Turnstone " 

American oyster catcher. 
Family 2. Gruidce. 
Crane tribe. 
American crane, 
Great blue heron, 
Great white " 

$ White crested" 

(or White poke, 
Blue heron, 
Lousiana" 
Green " 
Small bittern, 
American " 
Black crowned night heron, 

Yellow ' 

Family 3. Tantalidce. 
Stork tribe. 
White ibis, 
Glossy " 
Family 4. Scolopacidce, 
Curlew tribe. 
Long billed curlew, 
Jack " 

Small Esquimaux " 
Long legged sandpiper, 
Semi palmated 
Purple " 

Buff breasted " 
Curlew " 

Black breasted " 
Schinz's " 

Pectoral " 

Red breasted " 
Wilson's " 

Sanderling, 
Spotted sand lark, 
Grey 
Yellow leg, 

$ Solitary Tatler 

( or Jack snipe, 
Varied Tatler, 
Willet or stone curlew, 
Marlin, 
Ring tailed marlin, 

^Dowitchee or 

(Red breasted snipe, 
Common American snipe, 
American wood cock. 
Family 5. Rallidee. 
Rail tribe. 
Salt water meadow hen, 
Fresh " " " 

Mud hen, 
New York rail, 
Sora 
Florida Gallinule, 



Order V. Lobipedes. 
[Lobe footed birds] 

Family l. Podicipidce. 
Coot or Dipper tribe. 
American coot, 
Horned grebe or dipper, 
Crested grebe, 
Red necked '■ 
Dipper or pied dobchick. 



Order VI. Natatores. 
[Swimmers] 

Family l, Alcidee. 
Puffin tribe. 
Black Guillemot, 
Foolish " or Murre, 
Sea Dove, 
Arctic Puffin, 
Razor bill, 

Family 2. Colymbidte. 
Loon tribe. 
Great loon or diver, 
Red throated loon 
Family 3. Procellarida. 

Petrels. 
$ Large shearwater, or 
(Puffin, 
Little " 

$ Wilson's Petrel, or 
( Mother Carey's chicken, 
Fork tailed Petrel. 

Family 4. PelicanidiZ. 
Pelican tribe. 
Cormorant, 

Double crested cormorant, 
Brown Pelican, 
American Gannet. 

Family 5. Laridce. 
Gull tribe. 
Black Skimmer, 
Common tern, 
Cayenne, " 
Black 

Marsh " 

Arctic " 

Sandwich " 
Roseate " 
Silvery " 

Winter gull, 
Great black backed gull, 
Common American " 
Laughing " 

Bonaparte's " 

Fork tailed " 

£ Three toed " or 

{Killiwake, 
Arctic hawk gull, 
Pomarine " 

Family 6. Anatida. 
Goose and Duck tribes. 
Burl" breasted shelldrake, 
Red 



Hooded " 

Family 6. Recurvirostridce. Canvass back duck, 

Avoset tribe. Red head 

Lawyer, Broad bill 

American Avoset. Creek 

Bastard 



42 




STATE OF NEW 


YORK. 


Pied 


duck, 


$ Broad billed coot, or 
(Butter bill, 


Black duck, 


Ruddy 




( American widgeon, or 
; Bald pate, 


Old wife 


" 


White winged coot, 


Buffle headed 


" 


Wood duck, 


European widgeon, 


Whistler, 




Blue winged teal, 


Wild goose, 


Harlequin 


" 


Green " " 


White fronted goose, 


Eider 


" 


Pintailed duck, 


Brant, 


King 

Surf duck or 


" 


Shoveller, or spoonbill, 


American swan. 


coot, 


Grey duck, or Gadwall, 





Class III. Reptiles. 

There are but three orders of reptiles found in the state, viz. 

1st, Chelonia. The turtle tribe. Among the animals belonging 
to this order are the green turtle, which, though a native of warm 
climates, occasionally makes its appearance in the waters of New 
York bay, and Long Island sound ; the leather turtle, a gigantic spe- 
cies; the soft shell turtle found in the Mohawk, and in the lakes; 
the snapping turtle; the salt water terrapin, or mud turtle; the 
smooth terrapin, which resembles the preceding in its'appearance 
and habits ; the painted tortoise ; the spotted tortoise or speckled tur- 
tle ; the wood or fresh water terrapin ; the red bellied terrapin ; 
Muhlenburg's tortoise ; the geographic, and the pseudo-geographic 
tortoise, both distinguished by the geometric lines upon their shells; 
the mud tortoise, found only in the southern counties; the musk tor- 
toise, also called mud turtle, and mud terrapin; the common box, or 
checkered, tortoise, also called box turtle ; and Blanding's box tor- 
toise. 

2d, Sauria. The lizard tribe. There are but two species of this 
tribe, known to exist in this state, viz. the blue tailed skink or liz- 
ard, called also the striped lizard, found in the southern counties; 
and the brown swift, frequenting the woods, in every part of the state. 

3d, Ophidia. The serpent tribe. Most of these are harmless, 
only two species being venomous. 

Of the harmless species, we have the common black snake, from 
three to six feet long ; the pilot black snake, or racer, found in the 
Highlands and Fishkill mountains ; the chain snake, also called racer ; 
the milk or chicken snake, also called house snake, checkered adder, 
&c. ; the striped snake; the ring snake, black and red, small ; the grass 
orgreen snake ; the brown water snake, or water adder — this snake has 
its tail tipped with horn, and is frequently regarded with dread, but 
without cause ; the striped water, green water, or water garter 
snake ; the yellow bellied snake ; the small brown snake : the ribbon 
snake ; the red snake, very small, and found under stones and logs; 
the hog nosed snake, called also deaf adder, spreading adder, &c 

The two venomous species are, the copper head, called also red ad- 
der, dumb rattlesnake, red viper, &c. ; and the northern rattlesnake. 
The popular belief that the latter add a new rattle every year is erro- 
neous. Instances have been known where there were forty-four of 
these fibulae or rattles on the tail of a single snake, and that not of a 
very large size. They are found abundantly, in the rocky and unset- 
tled portions of the state. The deer and the hog destroy them rap- 
idly — the latter eating them. 



ZOOLOGY. 43 

Class IV. Amphibia. 

Animals living both on the land, and in the water. There are but 
four families of amphibia, in the state. 

1st, RanidcB. The frog tribe. The following are all the species of 
this family in the state: The common bull frog; the large northern bull 
frog, found in lakes George and Champlain, and their tributaries ; the 
spring frog, the kind most usually eaten ; the marsh or pickerel frog, 
used for bait, and called also, from its spots, tiger, and leopard frog ; 
the shad frog, which makes its appearance in the early spring ; the 
wood frog, a very nimble animal; the hermit spadefoet, a singular 
animal, between a frog and a toad; the common American toad, a 
harmless and useful animal ; Pickering's hylodes, a very small toad ; 
the peeper or cricket frog, called in Savannah, the Savannah cricket; 
the northern, or common tree toad ; and the squirrel tree toad. 

2d, Salaynandridce. The salamander tribe. These are usually, 
though incorrectly, called lizards. Among them are the yellow bel- 
lied salamander ; the violet colored, the red backed, the painted, the 
salmon colored, the blotched, the long tailed, the granulated, the 
striped back, the red, the scarlet, and the blue spotted salamander. 

3d, Sirenidce. The triton tribe. Of these we have the tiger tri- 
ton, with a tongue like a fish; the common spotted; the dusky, and 
the grey triton. 

4th, Amphiumidaz. The proteus tribe. The banded proteus, or 
great water lizard, a very singular animal, having the body of a liz- 
ard, and the gills of a fish ; and the Alleghany hell-bender, another 
curious amphibious animal, very voracious, and from 12 to 24 inches 
in length, are the only species of this family in New York. 

Class V. Fishes. 

The fishes, belonging to the state, are very numerous. 

Fishes are divided into two sub-classes, bony and cartilagin- 
ous. The first sub-class has six orders, viz. 

1st, Pectinibranchi, having gills arranged regularly, like the 
teeth of a comb. This order embraces many of our common fish, 
both in fresh and salt water. Those best known are the perch, fcass, 
bullhead, sheepshead, porgee, pilot fish, mullet, black fish or tau- 
taug, cunner, sucker, mackerel, &c. &c. In all the fishes belonging 
to this order the rays of the fin are bony. The same arrangement of 
the gills occurs in the three succeeding orders. 

2d, Abdominal, those having belly fins and ventrals. This order 
includes the shad, herring, salmon, trout, catfish, pipe fish, dace, 
shiner, carp, pike, pickerel, minnow, &c. 

This, and the four succeeding orders, have soft rayed fins. 

3d, Jugular, having shoulder fins, and ventrals attached to the 
bones of the shoulder. It includes the cod, haddock, hake, halibut, 
flatfish, flounder, turbot, sole, lumpfish, &c. 

4th, Apodal, without fins. This order includes the eel and 
confer. 

5th, Lophobranchi, those having tufted gills. This order is 
small, comprising two species of pipe fish and the Hudson river 
sea horse. 

6th, Plectognathi, those having the gills concealed under the 



u 



STATE OF NEW YORK 



skin. The balloon fish, puffer, and globe fish are examples of this 
order. 

Sub-class II. Cartilaginous Fishes. These are divided into 
three orders, viz. 

1st. Eleutheropomi, those having free gills. This order is rep- 
resented in the state only by the sturgeon. 

2d, Plagiostoma, those having the gilts attached. This includes 
the shark and ray tribes. 

3d, Cyclustomi, those having circular openings on each side of the 
neck lor respiration. This includes the larnprey, frequently called 
lamper eel. 

Fossil, Fishes. Twenty-five species of these have been enume- 
rated by the Messrs. Redfield. A number of them are extinct species. 

The following catalogue contains the names- of all the fishes as yet 
discovered in the waters of this state : 



Sub-class I. Bony Fishes. 



Order I. Pectinibranchi. 

[Spine rayed. 1 
Family l. Percidce. 

Perch family. 
American yellow perch, 
Rough " 

Rough headed " 
Sharp nosed " 
Slender 

Striped sea bass, 
Ruddy " 

Little white *' 
Small black " 
White lake " 
Black Huron or black bass, 
Champlain pickering, 
Yellow pike perch, 
Grey " " 

Tesselated darter, 
Groper, 

Black sea bass, 
Growler, 
Fresh water bass, 
Black do. " 

Obsewre do. " 
Common pond fish, 
Black eared" " 
Coachman, 
Spineless perch, 
Unarmed Uranoscope, 
Northern Barracuta, 
Cirrous Lepisoma. 

Family 2. Triglida. 

Gurnard family. 
Web fingered gurnard r 
Red 



Spinous 
Sea swallow, 
Common bullhead, 
Brazen 

Smooth browed " 
Greenland " 

American sea raven, 
Small sea scorpion, 
Spotted " " 

Northern sebastes, 
Little star gazer, 
American Aspidophore, 
Spotted wrymouth, 
Two spined stickleback, 
New York " 



Four spined stickleback, 
Many spined " 

Family 3. Scienidce. 
Sheepshead family. 
Lafayette, 
"\\ eakfish, 
Lake sheepshead, 
Silvery Corvina, 
Branded " 
Sharpfinned " 
Black sheepshead, 
King fish, 
Big drum, 
Banded " 
Banded Corvina, 
Speckled redmouth, 
Yellow finned " 
Squirrel fish, 
Banded pristipoma, 
Black triple tail. 

Family 4. Sparidce. 
Porgee family. 

Sheepshead, 
Sand porgee, 

Rhomboidal " 
Aculeated gilthead, 

$ Big porgee, or 

( Scup. 

Family 5. Chetodontida. 

$ Banded Ephippus, or 

{ Three tailed porgee, 

Moon fish, 

Razor fish. 

Family 6. Scombridcc. 
Mackerel trftie. 

Spring Mackerel, 

Fall 

Spanish " 

Common tunny, 

Striped bonito, 

Spotted cybium, 
\ Silvery hair tail, or 
} Ribbon fish. 

Common sword fish, 

New York pilot fish, 

Northern crab-eater, 

Carolina lichia, 

Silvery trachinote, 
\ Spinous " or 
$ Spinous dory, 

Black pilot, 

Southern caranx,- 

Yellow 



Spotted carartx, 
< Hair finned blepnaris, or 
t Hair finned dory, 
£ Rostrate argyreiose or 
(Dory, 

Hair finned " 
$ Blunt nosed shiner, or 
( Bristly dory, 
Banded seriole, 
Blue fish, 

Bottle headed dolphin, 
Spotted lampugus, 
Long finned harvest fish, 
Short finned " 

Family 7. Teuthidcc. 
Surgeon. 

Family 8. Atherinida. 
Dotted silverside, 
Slender " 

Family 9. Mugilidcc. 
Mullet family. 
Striped mullet, 
White 
Rock 
Spotted " 

Family 10. Gobida. 
Goby family, 
Sea weed blenny, 
Radiated shanny, 
Six banded chasmodes, 
American butter fish, 
Thick lipped eel pout, 
Bordered " 

Sea wolf, 
Variegated goby. 

Family 11. Lvphidcc. 
Toad fish family. 
American angler, 
Gibbous mouse fish, 
Smooth " 

Short nosed malthea, 
Dotted 

Bat " 

Common toad fish, 
Two spined toad fish. 

Family 12. Labridcs. 
{ Common bergall, or 
fCunner, 
Spotted do. 

^ New York tautaug, or 
I Black fish. 



ZOOLOGY. 



45 



Order it. AMfiditisAii. 

[Soft rayed fishes.] 

Family I> SilUridcc. 
Catfish family^ 
Oceanic catfish, 
Milbert's arius, 
Great lake catfish, 
< Common " or 
( Horn pout— minister, 
Brown catfish, 
Black 

Family 2. Cyprinidcc. 
Carp family. 
Common carp, 
Gold 

Variegated Bream, 
New York chubsuckert 
Brilliant 

Long finned " 

Gibbous 

Round backed " 
Common sucker, 
Oneida 
Horned 
Bale 
Mullet 

Black . " 

Large scaled " 
New York shiner. 
Black nosed dace, 
Spawn eater, 
Redfin, 
Roach dace) 

thining " 

lack headed " 
Silvery " 

Banded " 

Pigmy 
Bay shiner, 
Corporaaldn, 
Sheepshead lebias, 
Striped killifish, . 
Barred " 



Transparent nnnriowi 

Barred 

Champlain " 

Family 3. Esccidaz. 
pickerel family. 
Muskellunge, 
Common pickerelj 
Varied " 

Federation pike, 
Banded Garfish, 
Bill fish, 

New York flying fish. 
Single bearded " 
t)ouble " " " . 
Family 4. Fistularidce, 
Pipe fish family. 
American pipe fish, 

Sub -class 



Spotted pipe fish, 

Family 5. Salmonidce. 
Salmon Family , 
Brook trout, 
Red bellied [] 

Mackinaw Salmon* 
Common sea " 
American smelt; 
Spotted Troutlet, 
Argentine, 
Lake white fish, 
Common shad saimdn, 
Otsego " " 

Family 6. ClupidtS. 
Herring family. 
Common herring, 
Striped 
Green 
Little 

Satin striped " 
Blue 
Brit, 

American shad, 
American Alewife, 
Mossbonker, 
Autumnal Herring; 
Slender " 

Spotted shadine, 
Spotted thread herring; 
River moon-eye, 
Lake " 

Saury, 
Western Mudfish. 

Family 7. Saurldtz. 
Bony Pikes. 
Buffalo bony pike, 
Flat nosed" " 

Order IIL Jugular. 

Family 1. Gadidce. 
Cod family. 
American cod, 
power " 

Tom " 

Haddock, 
American hake; 
Plain burbdt, 
Spotted " 
Compressed" 
New York Pollack, 
Green " 

Coal fish, 
Cusk, 

American Codling, 
Spotted " 

Family 2. Planidce. 
Flatfish family. 
Halibut, 

New York flatfish, 
Pigmy 



Rusty fla» fish, 
Toothed, " 
Oblong Flounder, 
Long toothed " 
Spotted Turbot, 
New York sole. 

Family 3. Cy6lopterid&, 
Lump fish. 

Family 4. EchinUdce, 
White tailed remora, 
Indian " 

Common " 

Order IV» Apodal, 

Family l. Anguillidfc 
Eel family; 
Common eel, 
New York " 
Beaked " 
Sea " 

Bullhead " 
American conger, 
New York ophidium, 
American sand launce- 
Banded " " 

Order V. LoPhobranchI. 



Family l. Syngnathida, 
Banded pipe fish, 
Green " " 
Hudson river sea horse; 

Order Vl. PtEctodNATHi, 

Family 1, Gymnod(mtid<z, 

Balloon fish family. 
Spot-striped balloon fish. 
Unspotted " " 

Warty " 

Hairy " i% 

Common puffer; 
Curved . " 
Lineated " 
Small globe fish, 
Short head fish, 

Family 2. Balistidm. 
File fish family. 
Orange file fish, 

Long finned " " 
Massachusetts " " 
Thread " " 

Long tailed unicorn fish; 
Dusky balistes. 

Family 3 ; Ostraceonida< 
Dromedary, 
Yale's trunk fish; 



II. Cartilaginous Pishes. 



ELEUTHEROPOMA.Mackerel porbeagle, 
_ Long tailed " 

American houndfish; 
Basking shark, 
Spinous dog fish, 
< Nurse, 

__ Hammer head shark, 

Pt.AdtrtBTdMA. \ American angel fish, or 

f LAGIOSTOMA. J gea ^^ 

Common saw fish. 
Family 2; Raiadx. 
Ray family. 
Clear nosed ray, 
Spotted sting " 
Prickly " " 



Order I, 

Family StUrionidce,. 
Lake sturgeon, 
Short nosed " 
Sharp " " 

Order. II. 



Family 1. Squtilidcc, 
Shark Family. 
Threshing shark, 
Small blue " 
Dusky 
Ground " 

3* 



Broad sting ray; 
Cow nose " 
Hedgehog" " 
Whip " " 
Smooth skate, 
Sea devil. 

Order III. CyclostoM*! 

family PetronyzidaSs 
American sea lamprey, 
Bluish " fi 
Small lamprey, 
Colored mud lamprey, 
Plain " '' 



42 




STATE OF NEW 


YORK. 


Pied 


duck, 


$ Broad billed coot, or 
I Butter bill, 


Black duck, 


Ruddy 




t American widgeon, or 
( Bald pate, 


Old wife 


" 


White winged coot, 


Buffle headed 


" 


Wood duck, 


European widgeon, 


Whistler, 




Blue winged teal, 


Wild goose, 


Harlequin 


" 


Green " " 


White fronted goose, 


Eider 


«' 


Pintailed duck, 


Brant, 


King 


«' 


Shoveller, or spoonbill, 


American swan. 


Surf duck or coot, 


Grey duck, or Gadwall, 





Class III. Reptiles. 

There are but three orders of reptiles found in the state, viz. 

1st, Chelonia. The turtle tribe. Among the animals belonging 
to this order are the green turtle, which, though a native of warm 
climates, occasionally makes its appearance in the waters of New 
York bay, and Long Island sound ; the leather turtle, a gigantic spe- 
cies; the soft shell turtle found in the Mohawk, and in the lakes; 
the snapping turtle; the salt water terrapin, or mud turtle; the 
smooth terrapin, which resembles the preceding in its' appearance 
and habits ; the painted tortoise ; the spotted tortoise or speckled tur- 
tle ; the wood or fresh water terrapin ; the red bellied terrapin ; 
Muhlenburg's tortoise ; the geographic, and the pseudo-geographic 
tortoise, both distinguished by the geometric lines upon their shells; 
the mud tortoise, found only in the southern counties; the musk tor- 
toise, also called mud turtle, and mud terrapin; the common box, or 
checkered, tortoise, also called box turtle ; and Blanding's box tor- 
t)ise. 

2d, Sauria. The lizard tribe. There are but two species of this 
tribe, known to exist in this state, viz. the blue tailed skink or liz- 
ard, called also the striped lizard, found in the southern counties; 
and the brown swift, frequenting the woods, in every part of the state. 

3d, Ophidia. The serpent tribe. Most of these are harmless, 
only two species being venomous. 

Of the harmless species, we have the common black snake, from 
three to six feet long ; the pilot black snake, or racer, found in the 
Highlands and Fishkill mountains ; the chain snake, also called racer ; 
the milk or chicken snake, also called house snake, checkered adder, 
&c. ; the striped snake ; the ring snake, black and red, small ; the grass 
or green snake ; the brown water snake, or water adder — this snake has 
its tail tipped with horn, and is frequently regarded with dread, but 
without cause ; the striped water, green water, or water garter 
snake; the yellow bellied snake ; the small brown snake: the ribbon 
snake ; the red snake, very small, and found under stones and logs ; 
the hog nosed snake, called also deaf adder, spreading adder, &c 

The two venomous species are, the copper head, called also red ad- 
der, dumb rattlesnake, red viper, &c. ; and the northern rattlesnake. 
The popular belief that the latter add a new rattle every year is erro- 
neous. Instances have been known where there were forty-four of 
these fibulae or rattles on the tail of a single snake, and that not of a 
very large size. They are found abundantly, in the rocky and unset- 
tled portions of the state. The deer and the hog destroy them rap- 
idly — the latter eating them. 



ZOOLOGY. 43 

Class IV. Amphibia. 

Animals living both on the land, and in the water. There are but 
four families of amphibia, in the state. 

1st, Ranidce. The frog tribe. The following are all the species of 
this family in the state: The common bull frog; the large northern bull 
frog, found in lakes George and Champlain, and their tributaries ; the 
spring frog, the kind most usually eaten ; the marsh or pickerel frog, 
used for bait, and called also, from its spots, tiger, and leopard frog ; 
the shad frog, which makes its appearance in the early spring; the 
wood frog;, a very nimble animal; the hermit spadefoet, a singular 
animal, between a frog and a toad ; the common American toad, a 
harmless and useful animal ; Pickering's hylodes, a very small toad ; 
the peeper or cricket frog, called in Savannah, the Savannah cricket; 
the northern, or common tree toad ; and the squirrel tree toad. 

2d, Salamandridce. The salamander tribe. These are usually, 
though incorrectly, called lizards. Among them are the yellow bel- 
lied salamander ; the violet colored, the red backed, the painted, the 
salmon colored, the blotched, the long tailed, the granulated, the 
striped back, the red, the scarlet, and tbe blue spotted salamander. 

3d, Sirenidce. The triton tribe. Of these we have the tiger tri- 
ton, with a tongue like a fish ; the common spotted ; the dusky, and 
the grey triton. 

4th, Amphiumidce. The proteus tribe. The banded proteus, or 
great water lizard, a very singular animal, having the body of a liz- 
ard, and the gills of a fish ; and the Alleghany hell-bender, another 
curious amphibious animal, very voracious, and from 12 to 24 inches 
in length, are the only species of this family in New York. 

Class V. Fishes. 

The fishes, belonging to the state, are very numerous. 

Fishes are divided into two sub-classes, bony and cartilagin- 
ous. The first sub-class has six orders, viz. 

1st, Pectinibranchi, having gills arranged regularly, like the 
teeth of a comb. This order embraces many of our common fish, 
both in fresh and salt water. Those best known are the perch, feass, 
bullhead, sheepshead, porgee, pilot fish, mullet, black fish or tau- 
taug, cunner, sucker, mackerel, &c. Sec. In all the fishes belonging 
to this order the rays of the fin are bony. The same arrangement of 
the gills occurs in the three succeeding orders. 

2d, Abdominal, those having belly fins and ventrals. This order 
includes the shad, herring, salmon, trout, catfish, pipe fish, dace, 
shiner, carp, pike, pickerel, minnow, &c. 

This, and the four succeeding orders, have soft rayed fins. 

3d, Jugular, having shoulder fins, and ventrals attached to the 
bones of the shoulder. It includes the cod, haddock, hake, halibut, 
flatfish, flounder, turbot, sole, lumpfish, &c. 

4th, Apodal, without fins. This order includes the eel and 
confer. 

5th, Lophobranchi, those having tufted gills. This order is 
small, comprising two species of pipe fish and the Hudson river 
sea horse. 

6th, Plectognathi, those having the gills concealed under the 



46 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Class VII. Crustacea. 

The class Crustacea embraces those animals having a covering Ox' a 
dense calcareous substance, adapted to their form, which they usu= 
ally shed every year, and which is replaced by an exudation from 
the surface of the animal's body. Ten orders of this class of animals 
are supposed to exist in the state, though the existence of two of the 
ten is not determined with certainty. 

Order 1st, Becapoda, those having ten feet, is the most numerous 
and best known. It embraces the various species of crab, lobster, 
fresh-Water lobster, and most of the prawns or shrimps. There are 
in all twenty-seven species of this order. 

Order 2d, Stomapoda, those having the feet converging towards 
the jaws, is less numerous, containing but three species. It embra* 
ces the opossum shrimp and the squill. 

Order 3d, Amphipoda^ those having feet connected with both divi- 
sions of the body, comprising the sand flea> beach flea, and fresh-wa* 
ter shrimp. It has but four species. 

Order 4th, Lcemipoda, has but two species, the whale louse and 
the sea measuring worm. 

Order 5th, Isopoda, is considerably numerous, containing four* 
teen species. Seven of these are parasitic animals which obtain a 
subsistence by attachment to other animals. Among them are the 
salt and fresh-water barnacle ; two species of sow bug ; the pill bug ; 
and a genus resembling the trilobite. 

Order 6th, Pwcilopoda, contains five species, and embraces the 
horsefoot, or king crab, so abundant on the sea coast; and parasites 
peculiar to the shark, the rock bass, and the alewife. 

Orders 7th and 8th, Phyllopoda and Lophyropa, are not certainly 
known to exist in the state. 

Orders 9th and 10th, Branchiopoda and Ostrapoda, have but one 
species each, and those not known, except to the zoologist. 

Class VIII. Mollusca. 

Mollusc a is the name given to the class of animals whose bodies 
are encased in shells. Many of these are known by the name of shell 
fish. 

There are six orders, embracing a large number of genera and spe» 
cies, in the state. 

The 1st order is Cephalopoda,, those having the head surrounded 
by feet. The cuttle fish, or squid, and the syphon formed spirula, be- 
long to this order. 

The 2d order is Pteropoda, having fins on each side of ihe mouth, 
and without feet. To this order belongs the clio, the food of the 
Whale. 

The 3d order is Gasteropoda, having the feet under the body* 
The mollusca, belonging to this order, are very numerous in the state, 
and are arranged into eight sections or subdivisions, according to the 
structure of their gills or breathing apparatus. 

It comprises, in addition to many species known only to the natu* 
ralist, the family of slugs or snails, the animals inhabiting the turbi- 
nated shells, and those which yield the famous Tyrian purple dye. 

The 4th order, Acephala, those having no distinct head, is divided 



ZOOLOGY. 47 

into three sections, and comprises by far the greater number of shell 
fish with which we are familiar. 

In the 2d section, Lamellibranchia, those having leaf-like gills, of 
a semicircular form, we find the oyster, scallop, bloody clam, mussel, 
and the fresh-water clam and mussel. 

In the third section, Conchifera, those having single and distinct 
shells, we find the quahog, or common round clam, and the long clam. 

The 5th and 6th orders, Cirrhopoda, those having filamentous or 
thread-like feet, and Tunicata, those covered with a leathery or 
membranous tunic instead of a shell, contain no species of general 
interest. 

The researches of the state geologists have brought to light numer- 
ous genera and species of fossil mollusca, imbedded in the lime and 
sand stones of the state. The most remarkable and common of these 
are the various species of trilobite, the encrinite, the pentamerus, &c. 

Class IX. Insects. 

No full account of the insects of this state has yet appeared. The 
naturalists of the adjacent states, of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, 
have described most of those, which are inhabitants of the state — and 
relying upon their descriptions, we shall mention some of those best 
known. 

The order Cole^ptera, beetles, is very numerous. In Pennsylva- 
nia more than 1500 species have been discovered. The boring bee- 
tle, hammering beetle, tumble bug, ground beetle, horn bug, 
goldsmith beetle, and some others of brilliant colors, are the most 
common. 

The order Orthoptera, includes the cockroaches, crickets and grass- 
hoppers, of which there are many species. The katydid, so well 
known by the peculiar sound produced by its wing covers, belongs to 
the latter family. 

The order Homoptera comprises the locusts ; one species of these 
is remarkable for remaining seventeen years in the grub state. 

The order Hemiptera, bugs, comprises many of those insects inju- 
rious to vegetation, particularly the May bug, the lady bug, the apple 
tree blight, Sec. 

The order Lepidoptera, butterflies, are very numerous, probably 
numbering not less than 1000 species. Among those that fly dur- 
ing the day, those best known are, the small yellow winged butterfly, 
and the large yellow and black butter-fly. The variety, and beauty of 
their colors, attract universal attention. Some of the nocturnal spe- 
cies are very large. 

The order Arachnidce, spiders, though now usually considered as 
a separate class, may come in here with propriety. There are proba- 
bly between one and two hundred species of these in the state. Some 
of them are very large, and possessed of great beauty. The long legs, 
the clawed spider, the tick, mite, louse, &c,also belong to this order. 

The worms of the state, and its animalcules, have not yet been 
made subjects of general investigation. 



CIVIL HISTORY OF NEW YORK. 

DUTCH COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION. 
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. 

The bay of New York was first discovered in 1524, by Jean 
de Verrazano, a Florentine in the service of France. It does 
not appear, however, that Francis I. the monarch under whom 
this discovery was made, ever took advantage of it, or laid claim 
to the territory adjacent, in consequence of Verrazano's explor- 
ation. 

On the 4th of Sept. 1609, Henry Hudson, an Englishman, in 
the service of the States General of Holland, again discovered 
it, and ascended the river, which now bears his name, to a point 
a little below the present, city of Albany. His ship, or yacht, 
was of about eighty tons burthen, and was called the Half Moon. 

Landing in England on his return, he despatched an account 
of his adventures to the Dutch East India Company, with the 
request, that they would furnish him with the means of making 
another voyage. The English Government, however, deter- 
mining to secure his services, forbade his sailing again in the 
service of Holland. 

Shortly after, he received the command of a ship, with direc- 
tions to explore the Northern coast of America, in the hope of 
finding a North West passage. Having discovered and entered 
the bay which now bears his name, his crew mutinied, and put- 
ting him with some of his men into a small boat, abandoned them 
to their fate. Whether they perished by the waves, by hunger, 
or by the inclemency of the climate, is unknown. 

The country thus discovered by Hudson, was inhabited by 
numerous roving tribes of Indians, of whom the Maquaas or 
Mohawks were the most formidable and warlike. The Man- 
hattans, who inhabited the island on which New York is situa- 
ted, were also a fierce and warlike nation. Between thirty and 
forty of these tribes occupied Long Island and the country wa- 
tered by the Hudson and Delaware rivers and their branches. 

In 1610, a ship was sent by some merchants in Amsterdam, to 
trade with the Indians of Hudson river, for furs, &c. Other 
voyages were made during the succeeding years. In 1613, one 



DUTCH ADMINISTRATION. 49 

or two small trading forts were erected on the river ; and four 
houses were built on Manhattan Island, under the superintend- 
ence of Hendrick Corstiaensen, who visited with his trading 
boats every creek, inlet and bay in the vicinity, for the purpose 
of securing for his employers, the furs and produce of the 
country. 

On the 29th of March, 1614, the States General of the United 
Netherlands passed an ordinance, granting to all original discov- 
erers of lands in North America, the exclusive privilege of 
making four voyages to such lands as they had discovered, for 
the purposes of trade. Under this ordinance, five ships were 
despatched, by a company of merchants, the same year. The 
command of these vesse s v as giv i to Adriaen Blok, Hendrick 
Corstiaensen and Cornells Jacobsen Mey. They explored ex- 
tensively the coast near New York. 

Blok discovered and named Block Island, south of Rhode 
Island, and also the East river, to which he gave the name of 
Hellegat, from the Hellegat river in East Flanders. 

Captain Mey proceeding southward, discovered and named 
Capes May and Henlopen, or Hindlopen. On the return of these 
ships, a Capt. Hendrickson was left on the coast, to prosecute 
discoveries. 

The tract of country extending from the Connecticut to the 
Delaware river, received the name of New Netherlands ; and 
the exclusive right to trade there for three years from that date, 
Oct. 11, 1614, was granted to the discoverers by the States 
General. 

The discoverers, upon the passage of this grant, formed 
themselves into a company, called the United New Netherlands 
Company. This company erected, the same year, a fort and a 
trading house at an island, near the head of navigation on the 
Hudson, just below the present city of Albany, and garrisoned 
it with ten or twelve men. Another fort was erected at the 
southern point of Manhattan Island ; and men were despatched 
in every direction among the Indian tribes, to induce them to 
trade with the company. 

In 1618, a flood in the North river, or Mauritius, as it was 
called, injured the company's fort at Castle Island, near Albany, 
so much that it was deemed best to remove it to another posi- 
tion. Accordingly, a site was chosen on the Normanskill, or 
creek, a few miles below. Here they made a treaty with the 
Five Nations. The charter granted to the New Netherlands 
Company, by the States General, having expired this year, 
(1618,) they petitioned for its renewal, but in vain. Private 
traders, principally the former partners of that company, con- 
tinued, however, to visit the country for the purposes of traffic. 



50 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

At this period the attention of the Puritans, who afterwards 
settled at Plymouth, was attracted to this fertile und beautiful 
country. Having in vain applied to England, for grants of ter- 
ritory in the New World, they intimated, in the beginning of the 
year 1620, to the prominent individuals concerned in the trade 
to the New Netherlands, their desire to emigrate thither. This 
intimation was readily and willingly received by these traders, 
and a petition presented by them to the States General, for 
their approval of the project. War existing, however, between 
the States General and Spain, that body thought best, not to 
approve this proposition. 

In June, 1621, was passed the charter of the Dutch West 
India Company, an armed Mercantile Association, which was 
designed to extend the fame and power of the Netherlands; and 
to render them formidable upon the seas to Spain, their old and 
sanguinary enemy. This charter, though not particularly 
favorable to freedom, was as liberal in its provisions, as that of 
any other commercial association of that period. 

The West India Company having been fully organized, 
sent out a ship called the New Netherlands, on the 20th of 
June, 1623, to their newly acquired possessions, under the 
direction ofCapt. Mey already noticed, and Adriaen Joriszen 
Tienpont. The former of these, proceeded immediately to the 
Delaware, then called the South, or Prince Hendrick's river, 
and there established a fort, near the present town of Glouces- 
ter, which he named fort Nassau. The same year a fortified 
post, called Fort Orange, was erected within the limits of the 
present city of Albany, a few miles above that erected in 1618, 
on the Normanskill. 

DIRECTOR MINUIT'S ADMINISTRATION. 

In 1624, Peter Minuit, of Wesel, in Westphalia, having been 
appointed director of New Netherlands, arrived in the country, 
bringing with him several families of Walloons, inhabitants of 
the frontier between Belgium and France. 

These settled on a bay of Long Island, near Manhattan Isl- 
and, called from them Wahlebocht, or the bay of the foreigners, 
a name since corrupted into Wallabout. Here Sarah de Ra- 
pelje, the first child of European parentage, whose birth occur- 
red in the colony, was born in Jane, 1625. 

The government of this newly established colony was vested 
in the director, and a council of five, who possessed supreme 
executive, legislative and judicial authority in the colony. 
The only other important officer of the government was the 
Schout Fiscal, who filled both the offices of Sheriff and Attor- 
ney General. Under the superintendence of these authorities, 
the trade of the colony prospered. 



DUTCH ADMINISTRATION. 51 

In 1626, Staten Island was purchased of the Indians ; and in 
the same year, the island of Manhattan was bought for the 
sum of twenty-four dollars. The fort, upon this latter island, 
received the title of Fort A msterdam, and the colony that of 
New Amsterdam. 

An affray occurred between some of Minuit's farm servants 
and an Indian, in which the latter was killed. No attempts 
were made to punish the murderers ; and this outrage after- 
wards led to serious consequences. The exports of the colony 
this year amounted to about $19,000. 

In the ensuing year, 1627, amicable correspondence was 
opened between the Dutch authorities at New Amsterdam, 
and the Pilgrim settlers at Plymouth. In this correspondence 
the English authority was set up by the Plymouth colonists 
over the region watered by the Connecticut, and denied by the 
Dutch. 

Up to the year 1629, no colonies, properly so called, can be 
said to have been established in the New Netherlands. The 
settlements were simply trading establishments, in which the 
traffic in furs was the principal employment ; and the soil was 
hardly cultivated in sufficient quantities to supply the wants of 
the traders. 

In Sept. 1628, Admiral Heyn, who had charge of the West 
India Company's fleet, captured the Spanish Plate ships, con- 
taining gold, silver, &c. to the value of five millions of dollars. 
The directors of the company, elated by such unexpected good 
fortune, were disposed to yield to any measure apparently cal- 
culated to increase their wealth ; and at the meeting of the 
company's council (commonly known as the XIX,) on the 7th 
of June, 1626, a measure was adopted, the effects of which are 
yet felt in the state. 

This measure was, the passage of a grant to certain individ- 
uals, of extensive seignories, or tracts of land, with feudal 
rights, giving them power over the lives and persons of their 
subjects. Certain restrictions and limitations were made in 
this grant, which was called " The Freedoms and Exceptions, 
granted by the Assembly of the XIX, of the Priviliged West 
India Company, to all such as shall plant any colonies in New 
Netherlands." 

Under this grant Samuel Gody n and Samuel Bloemmaert pur- 
chased, soon after, a tract of land, thirty-two miles long, and two 
miles wide, on the south-west side of Delaware Bay ; and on 
the 18th of April, 1630, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, a pearl mer- 
chant of Amsterdam, secured a tract on the west side of the 
North river, embracing the site of the present city of Albany. 

By subsequent purchase, in this year and in 1637, Mr. Van 



52 STATE OF NEW YORK, 

Rensselaer became proprietor of a tract of land, twenty^fbuf 
miles long, and forty-eight broad, now composing the counties 
of Albany, Rensselaer, and part of the county of Columbia. 

In 1630, Godyn and Bloemmaert also secured a tract, on the 
opposite shore of the Delaware Bay , making a territory of sixty * 
four miles in circumference. Another of the company's directs 
ors, Michael Paauw, purchased Staten Island, Jersey City and 
Ahasimus, now called Harsimus, with the lands adjacent. 

This colony was called Pavonia: that on the Delaware* 
Zwanendal, or the valley of swans, and Mr. Van Rensselaer's, 
Rensselaerwyck. 

Active exertions were forthwith made to colonize these vast 
estates. Colonies were sent to Rensselaerwyck and Zwanen- 
dal ; and fortifications erected. Anxious, however, to partici- 
pate in the very profitable trade in furs and peltries, the Pa- 
troons, in the opinion of the other directors, soon transcended the 
limits prescribed, in the bill of Freedoms and Exceptions* 
Hence difficulties arose between the two parties, which mate- 
rially embarrassed the prosperity of the infant colonies. Minuit 
the director, was recalled, partly probably from the machina- 
tions of Wouter Van Twiller, who, in the capacity of agent of 
the company, had visited the colony two years before, (1632.) 

On his way home in March, 1632, Director Minuit was forced, 
by stress of weather, to put into the port of Plymouth, England. 
The vessel was immediately seized, on her arrival, on a charge 
of having traded and obtained her cargo in countries subject to 
Her Brittanic Majesty. Considerable diplomatic correspondence 
ensued between the State officers of England and the Nether- 
lands 5 and finally, the object of the English government, (the 
assertion of their title,) having been attained, the vessel was- 
released. 

During this period the dispute between the Patroons and the 
colony continued. In the latter part of the year, the Indians in 
the neighborhood of the Delaware Bay, considering themselves 
injured, came suddenly upon the colony of Zwanendal, and 
butchered in cold blood all the colonists, thirty -four persons in 
number. The next year, Captain de Vries, the founder of the 
colony, returned from Holland, and, finding himself unable to 
punish the treachery of the Indians, made a peace with them. 

DIRECTOR VAN TWILLEfi's ADMINISTRATION, 

In April, 1633, Wouter Van Twiller, a relation of the Pa- 
troon Van Rensselaer, having been appointed director of the 
settlement, arrived at New Amsterdam. About this time also 
Rev. Everardus Bogardus, the first minister, and Adam Roe- 
landsen, the first schoolmaster, arrived in the colony. Van 



DUTCH ADMINISTRATION. 53 

T wilier seems to have been ill calculated to govern the colony, 
at so stormy a period as this. Addicted to the use of intoxica- 
ting 1 liquors, he only resorted to heavier potations, when the 
emergency called for sober and vigorous action. 

In the early part of his administration, the Dutch settlements, 
on the Connecticut, were established. In 1614, Adrien Blok, 
one of the most enterprising captains in the employ of the New 
Netherlands Company, had discovered this river, and named it 
the Fresh Water River. 

In 1632, Hans Encluys, one of the servants of the West India 
Company, had set up the arms of the States General at Kievits 
Hoeck, now Saybrook Point, thus formally taking possession of 
the river. He had also purchased a tract of land, at that point, 
for the company, from the Indians. 

On the 8th of June, 1633, Jacob Van Curler, under the 
direction of Van Twiller, purchased territory along the Con- 
necticut river, embracing most of the site of the present city 
of Hartford, and ^ TC ral of the adjacent towns, of Tattoe- 
pan, chief of Sickenam (Little) River. On this territory he 
erected a fort or trading post, which he fortified with two 
pieces of cannon. 

On the 16th of September following, a vessel commanded by 
Capt. Wm. Holmes, and sent by the Plymouth Colony, who 
had settled about Massachusetts Bay, ascended the Connecti- 
cut. On passing the fort, Capt. Holmes was ordered to stop ; 
but being in stronger force than the Dutch, he persisted ; and 
proceeded, (though not without repeated protests from the 
Dutch authorities at New Amsterdam,) to erect, a little above, 
the frame of a house which he had brought round in his vessel. 

During this and the succeeding year, the contest between 
the Patroons and the Company continued to the manifest disad- 
vantage of both parties. 

In 1635, the English at Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay, 
sent several new colonies to the Connecticut river, one of which, 
under the command of Governor Winthrop, landing at Say- 
brook Point, tore down the arms of the States General, and 
carved a Luffoon's face in its stead. They also refused to let 
the ^utch bin ,., on the tract they had purchased in 1632; and 
erected on the very same tract, Saybrook fort. 

At the present site of Springfield, Mass., Mr. Pynchon estab- 
lished a trading house and a plantation : and the next year, 
1636, Hooker and his followers located themselves in Hartford. 

DIR^CTCR KIEFT'S ADMINISTPATION. 

In 1637, the mal-administration of Director Van Twiller 
having come to the ears of the company, William Kieft was 



54 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

appointed in his place. Director Kieft arrived in New Amster- 
dam in March, 1638, and found the fort greatly dilapidated ; the 
company's property wretchedly managed, and every thing be- 
tokening the prevalence ol disorder. Director Van Twiller, 
however, had not suffered his own interests to be neglected ; 
his farms were well stocked, and his houses in good repair. 

The new director began, with a strong hand, to reform abuses, 
and to improve his colony ; but he was a man of headstrong 
temper, who would not brook control or advice, and possessed, 
at the same time, a weak and ill balanced mind. Like his pre- 
decessor, he was addicted to intemperate habits. 

In 1638, Peter Minuit, the first Director of the New Nether- 
lands, who had, after his dismission from that station, gone 
to Sweden, arrived on the coast with a Swedish colony, and 
settled upon the banks of the Delaware, within the limits of the 
territory claimed by the Dutch. 

Having erected a fort there, which he named Fort Christina, 
after the Swedish queen, Kieft protested ng-ninst. hie course, as 
an invasion of his territory : but from the weakness of his own 
colony, he was obliged to content himself with protesting. 

In the latter part of the year 1638, the restrictions which 
hitherto had been placed, by the company, upon the trade to the 
New Netherlands, were taken off, ai d free traffic encouraged. 
This measure gave a new impulse to trade and emigration ; 
new farms were taken up ; and a number of gentlemen of 
wealth and distinction removed to the colony. 

Persecution, too, drove many, from New England and Virginia, 
to settle among the more tolerant Dutch, who, though firm in 
their adherence to their own creed, did not deem it necessary 
to persecute those who differed from them in religious tenets. 

In the mean time the aggressive disposition of the English 
settlers still continued. They founded a colony at New Haven, 
notwithstanding Director Kieft's protests ; they occupied the 
fertile valley of the Tunxis (Farmington) river ; and even went 
so far as to plough and sow the company's lands around the Fort 
of Good Hope at Hartford, assaulting and severely wounding 
some of the men in charge of that post, whom they found at 
work in the fields. 

The commander of the fort, Gysbert Op Dyck, promptly re- 
monstrated against this unwarrantable procedure, but the Eng- 
lish justified themselves on the ground, that as the lands were 
uncultivated, and the Dutch did nothing to improve them, "it 
was a sin to let such fine lands lie waste." 

Not satisfied with these aggressions, the Plymouth company 
proceeded to grant the whole of Long Island, to the Earl of Stir- 
ling ; and a settlement was soon afterwards effected, by Lyon 
Gardiner, at Gardiner's Island. 



DUTCH ADMINISTRATION. 55 

The Dutch, meantime, were active in establishing settlements, 
at the western extremity of the island. Lands were granted to 
settlers in Brooklyn, then called Ereackelen ; at Gowanus, and 
at Gravenzande, now called Gravesend. 

In May, 1640, a company of emigrants from Lynn, Mass., 
claiming authority under the Earl of Stirling's patent, com- 
menced a settlement near Cow Neck. The Director having 
learned this fact, despatched the Schout, or Sheriff, with a band 
of soldiers, to investigate the matter ; and, if they had actually 
commenced a settlement, to take them prisoners. This was ac- 
complished ; and after examination, they were dismissed, on con- 
dition, that they should leave the territory of their High Mighti- 
nesses, the S ates Gene ■■« 1. 

In the autumn of the same year they returned, and founded 
the town of Southampton, L. I. Other settlers, from the same 
quarter, soon after founded Southold. These settlements were 
not disturbed by the Dutch. 

This year, a most sanguinary contest commenced, with the 
Indians, which continued to disturb the colony for five years; 
and had well nigh depopulated it. The causes of this war were 
many. The Indians saw, with daily increasing envy and dis- 
like, the heritage of their fathers occupied by strangers. The 
settlers, often arrogant and selfish, deprived them of their real 
or imagined rights. 

In addition to this, Director Kieft, acting, as he alleged, under 
instructions received from Holland, proceeded to lay a tax on 
the Indian tribes for the support of the colony. This aroused 
their indignation ; and unfortunately, about this time, a robbery, 
committed by some of the servants of the colonists, was attrib- 
uted to the Indians. Kielt's imprudent disposition led him to 
send a body of soldiers, to execute summary vengeance upon 
the supposed offenders. A number of them were inhumanly 
butchered, and their crops destroyed. 

This produced deep hostility of feeling, on the part of the 
Indians; and the following season, with the cunning character- 
istic of their race, they took measures for revenge. Unexpect- 
edly, they attacked Staten Island, and killed several planters. 
Kieft sought satisfaction, by exciting a war between the Indian 
tribes. 

Early in 1642, he determined to avenge a murder, which had 
been committed by one of the Indians. He accordingly called 
a council of twelve men, from among the citizens of New Am- 
sterdam, to aid him, in deciding upon the proper course to be 
pursued. 

This council advised patience and forbearance ; and then pro- 
ceeded to take up the abuses of his government, and to ask for 
reforms. Kieft soon dismissed them, forbade their meeting 



56 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

again, and disregarding their advice, sent a company of soldiers 
to attack the Indians. They were unsuccessful in finding them, 
and a hollow peace was concluded between the two parties. 
This however did not long continue. 

In 1643, one of the Hackensack tribe, having been robbed by 
some of the Dutch, killed two of them in revenge. Kieft de- 
manded the murderer, but the Indians refused to deliver him 
up. At this juncture the Mohawks, the most formidable tribe, 
in the territory bordering on the Hudson and the Lakes, de- 
scended the river for the purpose of levying tribute from the 
weaker tribes, in the neighborhood of New Amsterdam. 

These, terror stricken, fled to the Dutch for protection, and 
might have been won to sincere friendship, by kindness ; but 
having been received kindly for a few days, they left the colony, 
and scattered themselves among the adjacent tribes. 

It was at this period that Kieft, forgetful of the dictates of 
humanity, suffered himself to authorize a transaction which 
stains, most foully, his whole administration. At a drunken 
revel on the 22d of February, 1643, a petition was presented to 
him by some of the most blood thirsty of the inhabitants, re- 
questing him to order the extermination of these Indians, thus 
deprived of a shelter and a home. Kieft readily complied, and 
Avhen the season of debauchery was past, refused to recall his 
order. 

Two parties of soldiers were sent out at night to surprise 
and destroy the unsuspecting red men. One hundred and 
ten were killed, and thirty taken prisoners. Nor were these 
all warriors, who were thus butchered in their sleep. Women 
and children were cut to pieces, by the swords of these ruthless 
exterminators ; and neither age, nor sex were spared. 

The consequences, as might have been expected, were, that 
the farms and buildings of the Dutch were burned by the exas- 
perated Indians ; numbers of the settlers were killed ; and in a 
few weeks Kieft was compelled to receive the inhabitants into 
the fort, as the only place which afforded protection, against the 
assaults of the savages. His course aroused the prejudices of 
the people against him ; and endeavoring to throw the blame of 
it upon others, he was threatened with assassination. 

In the autumn of 1643, the savages united together to drive 
the Dutch from New Amsterdam ; and almost daily, murders 
were committed by them. Kieft was again compelled to submit 
to the association of the representatives of the people, with him- 
self in the government. 

Having received a reinforcement, from the English settlers at 
Westchester, in 1644, under the command of Capt. Underhill, 
several expeditions were undertaken against their common 
enemy, in which some eight hundred were slain. These re- 



DUTCH ADMINISTRATION. 57 

suits led the Indian tribes of Long Island, and the shore adja- 
cent, (east of New Amsterdam,) to sue for peace; but it was 
not of long continuance. In 1645, however, a treaty was con- 
cluded, through the powerful intervention of the Mohawks, with 
most of the Indian tribes. 

During this whole period, from 1640 to 1645, the English colo- 
nists were constantly pursuing a course of aggression, upon the 
territories claimed by the Dutch. Determined to harass the 
commander of the fort at Hartford, till he should be compelled 
to leave his post, they neglected no means of carrying into 
effect their resolution. They also proceeded to establish settle- 
ments, west of the Connecticut, wherever they could obtain a 
foothold. 

On their southern frontier, too, the Swedes were depriving 
them of their trade with the Indians, and securing the fairest 
lands, watered by the Delaware and its tributaries, for their 
farms, notwithstanding these had been previously purchased of 
the native proprietors, by the Dutch. 

The " Colonie" of Rensselaerwyck, meanwhile, removed from 
these troubles, and cultivating a friendly relation with the In- 
dian tribes, was peaceful and prosperous. The Patroon com- 
plained, indeed, that his rents were not punctually paid; but the 
number of his bouweries, or farms under cultivation, and the 
amount of exports, showed conclusively, that its interests were, 
on the whole, well managed. 

Mindful of the religious improvement of his colonists, the Pa- 
troon sent over in 1642, the Rev. Johannes Megapolensis, as 
minister of the " Colonie," who labored among them efficiently 
and successfully for many years. 

Mr. Van Rensselaer never resided in his colony ; but confided 
its management to a Commissary General, or Superintendent; 
which office was filled by Arendt Van Curler or Corlaer, a 
most worthy and excellent man ; and after him by Anthony de 

The office of Schout Fiscal or Sheriff and Attorney General, 
was also one of great importance, and was filled by Jacob Albert- 
sen Planck, and afterwards by Adriaen Van der Donck. 

In 1643, a church was erected on what is now Church street, 
near Market street, or Broadway, Albany. 

In 1646, the venerable Patroon, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, died 
at Amsterdam. His son Johannes succeeded him as Patroon. 

In 1647 two whales ascended the Hudson, one of which 
grounded on an island at the mouth of the Mohawk, causing 
great consternation among the honest burghers. 

The Assembly of the XIX. finding their colony at New Am- 
sterdam decreasing in numbers and wealth, and verging towards 



58 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

destruction, under the mismanagement of Director Kieft, resolv- 
ed to recall him ; and in 1645 appointed in his place General 
Peter Stuyvesant, formerly Director of the Island of Curacoa. 

GOVERNOR STUYVESANT's ADMINISTRATION. 

Peter Stuyvesant, the successor of Kieft, in the government of 
New Netherlands, had been Director of the Dutch settlement at 
Curacoa and the adjacent islands ; and had acquired a high 
reputation for military prowess. Having been wounded in the 
siege of St. Martins, in 1644, he returned to Holland for surgical 
aid. In 1645, his health having been partially restored, the 
West India Company appointed him Director of their colony ot 
New Netherlands. 

Changes, however, made at his suggestion, in the organization 
of the colony, and the difference of opinion which existed between 
the different chambers of the company, relative to the propriety 
of these changes, prevented him from proceeding immediately 
to take charge of his post ; and it was not till the 27th of May, 
1647, that he entered upon the duties of his office. Meanwhile, 
the colony continued under the misrule of Director Kieft. 

Though possessed of stern integrity and honesty of purpose, 
yet the strict military education which he had received, had im- 
pressed Governor Stuyvesant, with ideas of the necessity of 
rigid discipline, which soon involved him in contentions with the 
citizens. These, having tasted in their own country, some of the 
blessings of freedom, and witnessing, daily, the liberty enjoyed 
by their English neighbors, were desirous of making trial of a 
liberal form of government. 

His first controversy was with the guardians of Johannes Van 
Rensselaer, son of the first Patroon, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, 
who had deceased in 1646, leaving his son Johannes, then a 
minor, to the guardianship of Wouter Van Twiller, (the second 
Director,) and one Van Sleightenhorst. This controversy was 
kept up for a long period, and finally terminated, by a reference 
to the States General. 

While it was pending, in 1649 and 1650, the Gemeente, or 
Commonalty of New Netherlands, instigated by Adriaen Van 
der Donck,* already mentioned as the first Attorney General of 
Rensselaerwyck, sent repeated remonstrances to the States 
General, concerning the administration of Stuyvesant, and 
earnestly solicited his recall. 

The States General, unwilling to act hastily, in a matter of so 
much importance, repeatedly appointed committees to investi- 
gate the charges made against him ; and on the 27 th of April, 

" Van der Donck seems to have been a man of considerable ability and learn- 
ing, but possessed of a restless and ambitious spirit. He had, previously to this 
period, created some disturbance at Rensselaerwyck. He evidently possessed 
the art of enlisting the populace in his schemes. 



DUTCH ADMINISTRATION. 59 

1652, passed an order for his recall. Just at this juncture, a 
war with England commenced, and the States General, esteem- 
ing it highly important, that their interests in the New World 
should be protected, by an officer of courage and ability, on the 
16th of May, rescinded their resolution of the 27th of April, and 
Stuyvesant retained his station. 

In order to compensate, as far as possible, for th ^s slighting 
the wishes of the people, the States General, in 1653, granted 
to the city of New Amsterdam, a charter of incorporation, 
making the city officers elective, and giving them jurisdiction^ 
except in capital cases. 

During this period the English, against whom Kieft had so 
often protested, encroached still farther upon the bounds of the 
Dutch. They established settlements upon the Housatonic 
river, and at Greenwich, upon the main land ; and crossing over 
to Long Island, organized colony after colony, upon its fertile 
lands. 

In vain Stuyvesant remonstrated; in vain he attempted to 
remove their settlements by force, or compelled the inhabit- 
ants to swear allegiance to Holland. For every remonstrance 
they had a reply ; and against the employment of force they 
made threats, which the more flourishing state of their colonies, 
he well knew, would enable them to fulfil. They seemed as 
much offended at his resistance, as the Dutch were by their 
aggressions ; and frequently, in their controversies, laid claim 
to the whole territory under the king's patent, or on account of 
Cabot's discovery. 

Wearied with these protracted disputes, Governor Stuyve- 
sant repaired to Hartford, in September, 1650, where the com- 
missioners of the colonies were in session, to adjust their diffi- 
culties, by a personal interview. Unsuccessful in this, he left 
the settlement in the hands of four deputies, two to be chosen 
by each party ; and, secure in the justice of his cause, appointed 
as his commissioners, two Englishmen, Willet and Baxter. 

On the 29th of September, the commissioners reported arti- 
cles of agreement, relinquishing to the English, half of Long 
Island, and all the lands on the Connecticut, except those actu- 
ally occupied by the Dutch, and prohibiting the Connecticut col- 
onists from settling within ten miles of the Hudson. 

Hard as were these conditions, Stuyvesant having once agreed 
to them, determined to maintain them in good faith, and obtained 
their ratification, from the States General, in February, 1656. 
The English government never ratified them, nor did the English 
colonists pay much regard to them, in their subsequent treat- 
ment of the Dutch, for in 1655 they seized, (under Cromwell's 
orders,) the fort at Hartford, with all its effects; thus termina- 
ting, by force, the existence of that colony. 



60 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

In 1653, a charge of conspiracy between Governor Stuyve- 
sant and the Indians, to massacre the inhabitants of all the New- 
England colonies, was falsely preferred, by Connecticut and 
New Haven; and but for the firm resistance of Massachusetts, 
to so iniquitous a transaction, they would have proceeded im- 
mediately to destroy New Amsterdam. When this foul charge 
reached the ears of Governor Stuyvesant, it met with an in- 
dignant denial; a denial, to the truth of which, his whole life 
gave the fullest evidence. 

In 1659, Massachusetts, pretending that the agreement made 
at Hartford, did not extend farther than twenty miles from the 
coast, claimed the land on the Hudson, above the parallel of 42°, 
and demanded the right of free navigation of that river. 

On the southern frontier, too, the Swedes were not idle. To 
prevent their encroachments, Stuyvesant, in 1654, erected and 
garrisoned fort Casimir, on the Delaware, at the site of the 
present town of New Castle. Risingh, the Svyedish governor, 
soon visited it; and, having, under the guise of friendship, ob- 
tained admission, treacherously possessed himself of the fort. 

The West India company, indignant at this perfidious act, 
sent orders to Stuyvesant, to reduce the Swedish settlements on 
the Delaware. Accordingly, in September, 1655, he left New 
Amsterdam, at the head of a force of nearly 700 men; and on 
the 16th, Fort Casimir, and on the 25th of September, Fort 
Christina, the head quarters of the Swedish governor, capitula- 
ted, without bloodshed. The terms offered by the Dutch, to the 
conquered, were so favorable, that most of them remained in the 
colony. 

During Governor Stuy vesant's absence, upon this expedition, 
a large body of Indians, deeming it a favorable opportunity to 
plunder, came upon the defenceless plantations, murdered a 
number of the inhabitants, and robbed several farms. The re- 
turn ofthe Governor, however, put an end to their incursions. 

Fort Casimir, after its recapture, became the nucleus of a 
colony, founded by the city of Amsterdam, and called New Ara- 
stel. The terms offered to emigrants were so favorable, that it 
soon became a place of importance ; and in 1657, one Alricks, 
was appointed Lieutenant Governor of that, and the other 
Dutch possessions, on the Delaware. 

In 1656, Governor Stuyvesant, who was a zealous and some- 
what bigoted supporter ofthe Reformed Dutch church, impris- 
oned some Lutherans, who had come into the colony, and per- 
sisted in the observance of their own forms of worship. In 
1658, he banished from the colony, a Lutheran preacher, who 
attempted to establish a church of his own persuasion. At 
Vlissingen, (now Flushing,) where the doctrines of the Qua- 
kers had made some progress, he attempted, but, of course, un- 



DUTCH ADMINISTRATION. 61 

successfully, to eradicate them by fines, imprisonment, and ban- 
ishment. Their numbers increased with their persecution. 

In 1659, Lord Baltimore protested against the settlements on 
the Delaware, as being within the bounds of his patent. To 
this protest, Stuyvesant replied on the 6th of October, setting 
forth the claims of the Dutch to the South, or Delaware river, 
and its coasts. 

In 1663, a body of Indians attacked Fort Esopus, now Kings- 
ton, and killed sixty-five persons. Suspecting that several 
tribes were leagued together in these hostilities against the colo- 
nists, Stuyvesant assembled the magistrates of the adjacent 
towns, to confer on the measures necessary for the defence of 
the colony. Having recommended such measures as they 
thought advisable, the magistrates turned their attention to the 
civil condition of the colony, and urged in forcible language, upon 
the governor, and the West India Company, the right of the 
people to a share, in the administration of the government. 

In 1653, a convention of delegates from the different towns 
had met in New Amsterdam, and in similar terms had remon- 
strated with the Governor and Company, against the abridge- 
ment of their rights, as citizens of Holland. But Stuyvesant, 
true to his military education, regarded such remonstrances, or 
petitions, with little favor. 

On the 30th of March, 1664, Charles II., King of England, 
regardless of the rights of Holland, granted to his brother 
James, Duke of Albany and York, the whole of the New Neth- 
erlands. The Duke forthwith despatched Colonel Nicolis, with 
three ships of war, and a sufficient force, to conquer his province. 

Governor Stuyvesant hearing of their approach, attempted 
to put the fort and town in a state of defence, but the sturdy 
burghers, tired of an arbitrary and despotic government, refu- 
sed to second his exertions. When, therefore, the fleet ap- 
peared before the city, and offered favorable terms, they insisted 
upon a capitulation. Governor Stuyvesant, angry at their want 
of spirit, tore the letter of Colonel Nicolis in pieces before 
them ; nor could he be induced to sign the articles of capitula- 
tion, till the 6th of September, (1664,) two days after they were 
prepared. 

These terms were, perhaps, the most favorable ever offered 
to a captured city. The inhabitants were permitted to remain 
in the colony, if they chose, upon taking the oath of allegiance 
to the English crown; to retain. or dispose of their property; 
to elect their own local magistrates ; and to enjoy their own 
forms of religious worship. The name of the colony and city 
was changed to New York. 

Governor Stuyvesant, soon after the capitulation, went to 
Holland, but returned to New York in a few years, and spent 
the remainder of his life there. 
4 



62 STATE OF NEW YORK. 



THE ENGLISH COLONIAL GOVERNMENT, 

Colonel Nicolls having thus acquired the peaceable posses- 
sion of the New Netherlands, was appointed by the Duke, Gov- 
ernor of the province, in the autumn of 1664. 

He appears to have been a man of prudence, moderation, and justice ; and 
thougli vested with almost absolute authority, used it in promoting the good of 
the province. During his administration, an effort was made, but unsuccessfully, 
to determine the boundary between New York and Connecticut. 

In January, 1665, a law was passed, requiring the approval 
and signature of the Governor, to all deeds of lands purchased 
from the Indians, in order to render the titles valid. This was 
necessary, as the Indians frequently sold the same tract of land 
to different individuals. 

On the 12th of June, 1666, Governor Nicolls granted a char- 
ter to the city of i> ew York. 

In 1667, he gave place to Colonel Francis Lovelace, who held 
the reins of government till 1673, when it was recaptured by 
the Dutch. 

Though somewhat arbitrary, and disposed to burden the people with heavy 
taxes, the urbanity of his manners, and his desire for the welfare of the colony, 
caused Col. Lovelace to be regarded as a good governor. In 1670, on the petition 
of the Dutch inhabitants of the colony, he granted them permission to send to 
Holland for a minister, and guarantied his support from the public treasury. 

On the 7th of August (New Style) Captains Evertsen and 
Binckes, the commanders of a Dutch squadron, which had been 
cruising off the American coast, entered the harbor of New 
York. Governor Lovelace was absent in New England ; and 
the fort and city were under the command of Captain Manning. 
The fort appears to have been much dilapidated, and scantily 
supplied with ammunition. 

The Dutch squadron demanded its immediate surrender. 
Captain Manning asked for delay ; but the invaders replied that 
he should have but half an hour. At the end of that period they 
opened their fire upon the fort, which Captain Manning 
returned, as well as he was able, until his ammunition was 
exhausted. The Dutch, meantime, had succeeded in effecting a 
landing upon the island, in the rear of the fort; and perceiving 
that further resistance was useless, Captain Manning surren- 
dered, without formal terms of capitulation.* 

* The above account of the capture of New York differs materially from that 
of Smith, which has been copied by all succeeding historians; but is fully sub- 
stantiated by the documents obtained in England, by J. It. Brodhead, Esq. Cap- 
tain Manning was not, perhaps, a very efficient officer, but he certainly did not 
merit the epithets of coward and traitor, which have been so freely bestowed 
upon him. The affidavits of the witnesses in his trial, prove that his punishment 
[the breaking of his sword over his head, and incapacitation to hold office] was 
sufficiently severe for his offence. 



ENGLISH ADMINISTRATION. 63 

Fortunately for the city, the Dutch commanders were men of liberal feelingB ; 
and mindful of the courteous treatment their countrymen had received in 1664' 
they granted every privilege of citizens, to the inhabitants. 

The name of New York, they changed to New Orange, that 
of Albany to Williamstadt, and the fort previously called 
Fort James, to William Hendrick. Captain Anthony Colve 
was appointed Governor. Connecticut protested against this 
invasion, but with as little success, as Governors Stuy vesant and 
Kieft had formerly done, to her usurpations. By the treaty of 
February 9th, 1674, New York was restored to the English. 
It was not, however, given up by the Dutch, till the following 
autumn. 

Some doubts existing, relative to the validity of the Duke of 
York's patent, both on account of the Dutch occupation, and 
the fact, that it was wrested from that nation in time of peaCe> 
he deemed it advisable to obtain a new patent, from his brother, 
in 1674. 

In the autumn of this year, Major Edmond Andross, after- 
wards so well known as the tyrant of New England, arrived in 
New York, and assumed the office of governor. 

His administration in New York seems to have been marked by few striking 
events. He won neither the love nor the hatred of the citizens ; and being ab- 
sent a part of the time, attending to the more refractory New England colonies, 
he did not manifest, in his own state, the tyranny, which subsequently rendered 
him so odious. 

In 1675, Nicolaus Van Rensselaer, a younger son of the first Patroon — came 
over to New York, with a recommendation from the Duke of York, whose 
favor he had obtained, and wished to settle as minister in Albany. Niewenhyt, 
who was, at the time, pastor of the Reformed Dutch church, in that city, refused 
to recognize him, on the ground that he had received Episcopal ordination. In 
the difficulty resulting from this refusal, Andross took sides, though unsuccess- 
fully, with Van Rensselaer. 

During Governor Andross' frequent absences, Mr. Brock- 
hoist, the Lieutenant Governor, officiated. 

In August, 1683, Colonel Dongan succeeded Andross in the 
government of the colony ; and among his first acts, was one, 
granting permission to the people to elect an assembly, con- 
sisting of a council of ten persons, named by the proprietor or 
his deputy, and a house of representatives, eighteen in number, 
elected by the freeholders, to aid in the administration of gov- 
ernment. 

In this year, the ten original counties were organized. 

In February, 1685, the Duke of York, on the death of his 
brother Charles II., ascended the throne, under the title of 
James II. Among the first acts of this bigoted and short sighted 
monarch, were his instructions to Dongan, to allow no printing 
press to be established in the colony. 

Colonel Dongan, mindful of the necessity of keeping up friendly relations with 
the powerful confederation of the Iroquois, visited them in person, and by prea- 



64 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

ents and addresses, won their friendship and alliance. The Jesuit priests, sent by 
the French among the Indians, were, however, a formidable obstacle to his com- 
plete success, in his negotiations with the savage tribes ; for, residing among them, 
and conforming to their habits, they exerted a powerful influence in favor of the 
French, who had been the hereditary enemies of the confederated tribes. 

Colonel Dongan, though himself a Roman Catholic, was too shrewd a states- 
man not to perceive the injurious influence exerted by the priests upon these 
Indians, and accordingly attempted to prevent their continuing among the tribes. 
But James, infatuated by his zeal for Catholicism, forbade him to molest them, 
and ordered that he should rather aid them, in their efforts, to convert the Indians 
to the Catholic faith. 

In vain, Dongan remonstrated ; he only irritated his royal master, and in 1688 
Was recalled, 

Androsa, who had preceded him, was designated as his sue* 
eessor, and New England was added to his jurisdiction. 

Preferring to locate himself, where he could more easily inspect the conduct of 
his New England subjects, Governor Andross made Boston his residence, com- 
mitting the care of the colony of New York, to his Lieutenant Governor, Colonel 
Nicholson. The latter seems to have been much more mild in his administration 
than his chief, whose enormities so exasperated the people of Massachusetts, that, 
on the arrival of the news, at Boston, of the accession of William, Prince of 
Orange, to the throne, they immediately imprisoned Andross, and sent him to 
England for trial. 

In New York, the intelligence of the accession of the Prince 
of Orange did not, at first, produce a civil commotion. After 
a short time, however, a portion of the populace selected Jacob 
Leisler, a merchant of New York, of Dutch extraction, and the 
senior captain of the militia, as their leader, and proclaimed 
William and Mary. This movement, though popular with the 
masses, was discountenanced by most of the prominent citizens, 
who were unwilling to acknowledge Leisler, as a leader. 
Colonel Nicholson, apprehending popular violence, escaped on 
board a vessel in the harbor, and sailed for England. 

On the 3d of June, 1689, finding himself surrounded by a large 
number of adherents, Leisler assumed the reins of government, 
associating with himself in the cares of state, his son-in-law, 
Jacob Milborne. 

In the spring of 1690, Milborne, at the head of a considerable 
force, went to Albany, to reduce that town [which had hitherto 
remained refractory], to allegiance to the government of his fa- 
ther-in-law. At his first visit he was unsuccessful, but, at a sub- 
sequent period their fears of an Indian invasion, led them to 
submit to his jurisdiction. His confiscation of the estates of 
some of those who opposed him, excited prejudices which ter- 
minated in the ruin of both Milborne and Leisler. 

During Milborne's absence at Albany, a letter from the Eng- 
lish ministry arrived, addressed to " Francis Nicholson, Esq. : 
or, in his absence, to such as, for the time being, take care for 
the preserving of the peace, and administering the laws, in his 
majesty's province of New York, in America." This letter em- 



ENGLISH ADMINISTRATION. 65 

powered the person addressed, to take charge of the govern- 
ment, calling in the aid of* such of the inhabitants, as he should 
think proper, until farther orders. 

Leisler, being by popular election acting governor, very prop- 
erly assumed, that this letter was addressed to himself; and 
consequently, by advice of the citizens, who constituted a com- 
mittee ol safety, selected a council from each of the counties, . 
except Ulster and Albany, which had not yet submitted to his 
authority. 

He also summoned a convention of deputies, from those portions of the province 
over which his influence extended. This convention laid some taxes, and 
adopted other measures, for the temporary government of the colony ; and thus, 
for the first tune in its existence, was the colony of New York under a free 
government. The strong prejudices, however, which had been awakened by 
Leisler's measures, soon produced in the minds of his adversaries, a rancor and 
bitterness, which was perhaps never surpassed in the annals of any political con- 
troversy. 

This condition of things existed for nearly two years. To 
the horrors of civil commotion, were added the miseries of for- 
eign war, and hostile invasion. The French Court, being at 
war with England, had placed over its colonies in Canada, the 
aged but enterprising Count de Frontenac, the ablest and most 
formidable governor of their American possessions. 

This wily veteran at once determined to annoy his English 
neighbors, and accordingly despatched a force against Schenec- 
tady, in mid winter, which, after enduring extreme hardships, 
reached that place in the dead of night, and with the utmost 
barbarity, butchered its sleeping inhabitants, in cold blood. 

Attempts were made to revenge this barbarous invasion, by an expedition 
against Quebec, of which Sir William Phipps and Fitz-John Winthrop, afterward 
governor of Connecticut, were the commanders ; but through mismanagement, 
and the sickness of the troops, the expedition was unsuccessful. 

Colonel Henry Sloughter, who had been appointed governor 
of New York, by King William, in 1689, arrived in 1691. His 
coming had been heralded, a few weeks before, by one Ingoldsby, 
a captain of foot, who, without credentials of any kind, demanded 
that the fort should be surrendered to him. 

This demand, Leisler, with propriety, refused to obey ; and 
when Colonel Sloughter, on his arrival, sent this same In- 
goldsby, to demand the surrender of the fort, Leisler asked a 
personal interview with him. His enemies, w T ho had determined 
upon his ruin, seized upon this imprudent hesitation, as evidence 
of treason, and filling the ears of the weak-minded Sloughter 
with charges against him, they demanded his arrest. The next 
day he surrendered the fort, and was immediately arrested, and 
with his son-in-law, after a mock trial, condemned to death for 
high treason. 

Slougrhter, however, hesitated to execute the sentence, and 



66 



STATE OP NEW YORK. 



wrote to the English ministry, for directions how to dispose of 
them. Their enemies, thirsting for their blood, were deter- 
mined not to be thus foiled, and, persuasions having failed, they 
availed themselves of the known intemperate habits of the gov- 
ernor, invited him to a banquet, and when he was completely 
intoxicated, induced him to sign the death warrant. Ere he 
was recovered from his debauch, the unfortunate prisoners 
were executed. They met death with heroic fortitude, and 
Leisler exhibited a martyr's spirit. 

Their estates were confiscated, but their adherents were soon after pardoned, 
by an act of general indemnity. The circumstances of Leisler's execution, roused 
the indignation of those who had attached themselves to his party, and for many 
years after, the citizens of the state were divided into Leislerians and Anti- 
Leislerians.* 

In June, 1691, Colonel Sloughter went to Albany, to hold a 
conference with the Indians. On his return he died, very sud- 
denly, in July, 1691 ; and, until the English government could 
appoint a successor, Ingoldsby, the lieutenant governor, as- 
sumed the government. The only event of importance, during 
his administration, was a conference with the Indians, with 
whom he concluded a treaty. 

In August, 1692, he was superseded by Colonel Benjamin 
Fletcher, who soon exhibited the unamiable traits of his char- 
acter. In his intercouse with the Indians, he fortunately suf- 
fered himself to be advised by Major Peter Schuyler, a man, 
whose influence over them was unbounded, and who, in his in- 
terviews with them, gave them a favorable impression of the 
English. 

During most of Fletcher's administration, he was engaged in controversies with 
the assembly, principally in regard to appropriations for his expenses. He was 
empowered, by his commission, to take command of the militia of New Eng- 
land, as well as of New York ; but proceeding to Hartford for this purpose, he 
found himself thwarted, by the stubborn resistance of the people of Connecticut. 

Richard, Earl of Bellomont, appointed in 1695, arrived as his 
successor in April, 1698. He was a man of great dignity, reso- 
lution and moral worth ; and was sent out by the king to take 
measures for the suppression of piracy, which had at that, period 
reached a fearful height. For this purpose the earl, before 
leaving England, at the recommendation of Mr. Livingston, 
commissioned Captain William Kidd, to sail in pursuit of the 
pirates, and endeavor to rid the seas of them. 

* Historians have differed materially in their estimate of the character of 
Leisler. By some he has been denounced as weak and vain; by others ex- 
tolled for his firmness and integrity. It is apparent from a carefui examination 
of his administration, that he was a man of honesty and integrity of purpose, 
but strongly prejudiced against the Roman Catholic faith, and not possessed of 
those traits of character, which would quality him for a successful governor, in 
the troublous times in which he lived. 

Milborne was a man of considerable education, and undoubtedly possessed 
greater abilities, and perhaps less integrity, than his father-in-law. It is alleged 
that Leisler was very much influenced by him in his measures. 



ENGLISH ADMINISTRATION. 67 

Captain Kidd accordingly sailed for New York in April, 1696, but after cruisin" 
for a while, himself turned pirate, and became the most ferocious and daring of 
all the ocean marauders. Returning to America, in 1701, he sold his ship, and 
boldly appeared in Boston, where he was arrested, and sent to England for triai 
and execution. 

Lord Bellomont died in 1701, and John Nanfan, 'who had been 
his lieutenant governor in New York, succeeded him in the 
government. 

The administration of Lord Bellomont is stained by the enactment of one law, 
which, for its bigotry and intolerance, is deserving of notice. In ] 700, a law was 
passed, directing that every Catholic priest who came into the colony, should be 
hanged. The design of this law was alleged to be, to prevent the Catholic priests 
from exerting an influence upon the Indians, hostile to the English. 

The earl, as well as Nanfan, who was his Kinsman, had es- 
poused the cause of the friends of Leisler, and already two dis- 
tinct parties had been arrayed against each other. 

In 1701, on the petition of the family of Leisler, to the queen, 
the attainder was reversed, and £1000 granted his heirs, as a 
compensation for their losses. 

Nicholas Bayard, one of the most active of those who had procured the death 
of Leisler, having attacked Governor Nanfan, and his measures in public, and ex- 
hibited insubordination to the government, was arrested, in 1702, tried, convicted 
of high treason, and sentenced to death. But his prosecutors did not urge his im- 
mediate execution ; and on the accession of Lord Cornbury, he was liberated 
from prison, and the attainder reversed. 

On the 3d of May, 1702, Lord Cornbury, grandson of the 
Earl of Clarendon, and first cousin to the queen, arrived as 
governor. 

Of all the Governors of the colony under the English crown, Lord Cornbury 
received the unenviable distinction, of being the worst. Rapacious without a 
parallel, he hesitated not to apply the public money to his own private purposes ; 
and though notoriously vicious, yet he was so intolerant, that he sought to estab- 
lish the Episcopacy at all hazards, imprisoning and prohibiting ministers of other 
denominations, from exercising their functions, without his special license. He 
was, moreover, as destitute of gratitude, as of courtesy, injuring those most, from 
whom he had received the greatest benefits. His manners were as ignoble and 
undignified, as his conduct was base, and when this hopeful scion of royalty wan- 
dered about the streets clothed as a woman, [which was a common practice with 
him] the people felt that he had taken Caligula for a model. 

So urgent were the complaints against him, that the queen, in 
December, 1708, felt herself compelled to revoke his commission. 
No sooner was he deposed from office, than his creditors put him 
in jail, where he remained, till the death of his father, by eleva- 
ting him to the peerage, procured his liberation. He had at- 
tached himself to the Anti-Leislerian party. 

He was succeeded, in December, 1708, by John, Lord Love- 
lace, Baron of Hurley. The cheering hopes, to which the 
appointment of this excellent man gave rise, were doomed to 
sudden disappointment, as he died on the 5th of May, 1709. 

He was succeeded by the lieutenant governor, Ingoldsby, 
whose administration, of eleven months, is only remarkable for 



68 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

another unsuccessful attempt upon the French possessions in 
Canada, under the direction of Colonel Nicholson. This oc- 
curred in 1709. 

After the failure of this attempt, Colonel Schuyler visited England with five of 
the Iroquois sachems, in order to rouse the people to greater exertions, in defend- 
ing the colonies. 

In April, 1710, Lieutenant Governor Ingoldsby was removed 
from office, and Gerardus Beekman, the senior councillor, offi- 
ciated as governor, till the arrival of General Hunter, in June, 
1710. Three thousand Palatines, from Germany, flying from 
religious persecution in their own country, came over with 
Governor Hunter. 

The ensuing year, another expedition was commenced against Canada, by land 
and water. The squadron destined for its reduction was under the command of 
Sir Hoveden Walker, and the troops under Brigadier General Hill. Owing to 
mismanagement, they did not enter the St. Lawrence sufficiently early in the 
season, and having unskilful pilots, several of the ships were wrecked in that 
river, and 800 soldiers lost. The whole expedition proved a failure. 

As was to be expected, the assembly did not feel inclined in all cases to pay 
implicit deference to the governor's mandates ; and, in the earlier years of his 
administration, Governor Hunter had several unpleasant collisions with that body. 
After a time, however, both parties exercised a spirit of mutual forbearance, 
which made their intercourse pleasant and advantageous to the colony. 

Measures were adopted, during his administration, to adjust 
the boundaries between the colony and the adjacent colonies of 
New Jersey and Connecticut ; but no definite settlement was 
made. 

Few of the colonial governors resigned their office more generally beloved, or 
more ardently attached to the interests of the colony, than Governor Hunter. 
The address of the assembly to him, at his departure, in 1719, in its tone of affec- 
tion and regard, stands forth alone, in these times of distraction, like a green and 
fertile oasis, amid the shifting and arid sands of Sahara. 

During the period (a little more than a year) which elapsed 
between the departure of Governor Hunter, and the arrival of 
his successor, Colonel Schuyler, as senior member of the coun- 
cil, officiated in the place of the governor. Under his adminis- 
tration, a treaty, offensive and defensive, was again concluded 
with the Iroquois. 

Governor Burnet arrived in September, 1720, and continued 
in office till his death, in April, 1728. 

One of the first acts of his administration, was one prohib- 
iting the sale of goods, suitable for the Indian trade, to the 
French from Quebec and Montreal. 

This, though a very just and necessary measure, excited great bitterness of 
feeling on the part of the merchants who were engaged in this traffic, and of 
course in the minds of their adherents. They petitioned Parliament for its 
repeal ; but were foiled, by the able manner in which their false statements were 
exposed, by Dr. Colden, then a member of the council. 

During this excitement, another transaction affected Governor Burnet's popu- 
larity. He interfered, at the request of one of the parties concerned, in an ecclesi- 
astical difficulty, in the French church in New York city, and of course drew 
upon himself the opposition of the other party. 



ENGLISH ADMINISTRATION. 69 

The French in Canada, under the vigorous government of 
the aged, but ambitious Count Frontenac, had formed the design 
of erecting a chain of military posts to the Ohio river, and along 
its banks; thus confining the English to the coast east of the 
Alleganies. In pursuance of this design, they proceeded, in 
1725, though not without the most strenuous opposition, on the 
part of Governor Burnet and Colonel Schuyler, to erect a fort 
on Niagara river, which they called Fort Niagara. 

The next year, with equally violent opposition on the part of 
the French, Governor Burnet erected Fort Oswego, at the 
present site of the village of Oswego. 

The new assembly convened in 1727, were of a different political complexion 
from their predecessors ; and between them and the governor, there were frequent 
and unpleasant contentions. These contentions continued till the period of his 
death. His fine talents, profound learning, and unaffected kindness of heart, 
caused him to be esteemed even by his enemies, and his faults were entombed 
with him. 

Colonel Montgomery succeeded Governor Burnet, in 1728, 
and remained in office till his death, which occurred in 1731. 
During his government, viz., in October, 1728, the good will of 
the Iroquois was secured, and they were engaged to aid in the 
defence of Fort Oswego. In December, 1729, the king, con- 
trary to the wishes and representations of the best citizens in 
the colony, repealed the law, prohibiting the sale of Indian goods 
to the French. The boundary between Connecticut and New 
York was fully settled, and the line run, in May, 1731. 

In July of the same year, Colonel Montgomery having de- 
ceased, Rip Van Dam, the senior councillor, administered the 
government, till August, 1732. During his administration, the 
French erected a fort at Crown Point, without any resistance 
on the part of the leeble and inefficient acting governor. 

On the first of August, 1732, Rip Van Dam was superseded 
by the arrival of Colonel Cosby, who remained in office till 
March, 1736, the period of his death. 

Historians have been much divided in their views of Governor Cosby. Some 
represent him as an arbitrary, tyrannical and unjust ruler. Others regard him as 
a man of mild manners, but necessarily driven to harsh measures, by the turbu- 
lent spirits with whom he had to deal. 

The act which caused the most serious difficulties in his administration, was 
his demand that Rip Van Dam, who had officiated as lieutenant governor, pre- 
vious to his arrival, should divide with him, the emoluments of his office. Mr. 
Van Dam offered to do this, provided Governor Cosby would also divide what he 
had received from the colonies, before coming to this country. Governor Cosby, 
who appears to have been somewhat avaricious, refused to do this, and commen- 
ced a suit against Van Dam, for the half of his salary. Mr. Van Dam attempted 
to bring a counter suit, but the judges, who were in the governor's interest, de- 
clined entertaining it. 

The newspapers took up the controversy, and one, conducted by a man named 
Zenger, defended Van Dam. The attacks of this journal against the governor, 
provoked the latter and his council, to such a degree, that they directed copies of 
the paper to be burned by the hangman, and indicted Zenger for libel. At the 

4* 



70 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

trial, his counsel, Messrs. Alexander and Smith, disputed the jurisdiction of the 
court, and were stricken from the roll of attorneys in consequence. 

Andrew Hamilton, of Philadelphia, was employed to defend Zenger, and the jury, 
without leaving their seats, gave a verdict of acquital. Hamilton was presented with 
the freedom of the city, in a gold box, as an acknowledgement of his services, in 
upholding the liberties of the people, against a gove-nor appointed by the crown. 

During Governor Cosby's administration, a Latin grammar 
school was founded in New York, by the assembly. 

But a few days previous to his decease, Governor Cosby 
suspended Rip Van Dam from the council, thereby preventing 
his acting as lieutenant governor, in the event of his death. 
This act had well nigh produced serious troubles in the colony ; 
for Mr. Clarke, who was next in order of seniority, having as- 
sumed the government, Van Dam opposed him, and himself 
appointed various officers. 

The two parties soon came into collision, and a civil war 
seemed inevitable. Each party prepared for such a result, 
when, on the very eve of a conflict, a commission arrived from 
England, confirming Mr. Clarke, in the office of lieutenant gov- 
ernor, and president of the council. 

This, of course, left the other party no alternative but submission. Gov- 
ernor Clarke exerted himself, to remove all just ground of complaint, from the 
people. He sought every occasion to conciliate those who were hostile io him ; 
and during the seven years he was in power, rendered himself highly popular. 

In 1737, a company of Highlanders offered to settle on the 
shores of Lakes Champlain and George, if they could be coun- 
tenanced and aided by the assembly. As the colony would 
prove an effectual barrier to the French, on the northern fron- 
tier, the proposition was cheerfully met, by many of the citizens ; 
•but the assembly withheld the necessary aid, and the poor 
colonists were obliged to leave their lands, almost in a state of 
starvation. 

In 1741, occurred the Negro plot, so famous in the annals of 
New York. 

The evidence of the existence of such a plot seems to be meagre and insuffi- 
cient. It is not improbable that a few profligate wretches, whites as well as 
blacks, had meditated arson ; but the only proof of a plot to burn the city, was 
the testimony of a single abandoned woman, whose statements often contradicted 
each other, and were not corroborated by any of her associates. Yet such was 
the alarm and infatuation of the citizens, that on this woman's testimony, 154 
Negroes and twenty Whites were imprisoned, thirteen Negroes were burned at the 
stake, eighteen or twenty persons hanged, seventy transported to foreign countries, 
and fifty discharged. 

The people, always suspicious of the Roman Catholics, arrested and executed 
several Irishmen, who professed that faith, and who happened to arrive in the 
colony about this time. Among others who were hanged, was one Ury, a Cath- 
olic priest, who was condemned on two charges ; one, that he was concerned in 
the conspiracy, and the other, that he was a Catholic priest. The charge of con- 
spiracy, he protested was untrue, nor was it proved against him. 

In September, 1743, George Clinton, son of the Earl of Lin- 
coln, arrived in the colony, with a commission as governor. 



ENGLISH ADMINISTRATION. 71 

The ensuing year, war was declared, between England and 
France, and the colonists prepared to carry it on with vigor. 

In 1745, the colonies of New England and New York united 
in an attack upon the French fortress, at Louisburg ; and New 
York furnished ten pieces of cannon, and £8000 towards the 
expedition. It was surrendered in Jane, of that year. 

The colonies were seriously molested, during the year 1746, 
by the Indians, in the pay of the French, who attacked and re- 
duced the English fort at Hoosick, and also made an incursion 
upon the settlement at Saratoga, murdering and plundering all 
who fell in their way. It was therefore determined to make a 
vigorous attack upon the French fortresses at Crown Point and 
Niagara, and also to send an army to capture Quebec. For 
this purpose New York raised £40,000, and solicited aid from 
England, which was promised, but not furnished. The enter- 
prise proved unsuccessful. 

The peace of Aix la Chapelle was concluded in 1748, and the 
colony, in the prosperity which followed for a few years, began 
to recover from its losses by the wars. 

In 1746, the assembly appropriated £2250. towards founding 
a college. 

During the years 1746 — 9, there were constant contentions, between the 
governor and assembly; but in 1750 both parties manifested a more concili- 
ating spirit, and during the remainder of Governor Clinton's administration, they 
were on better terms. 

Governor Clinton resigned in 1753, and in October of that 
year, Sir Danvers Osborne arrived, as his successor. Deeply 
afflicted at the loss of an excellent and amiable wife, the cares 
of the government seemed, to this unfortunate gentleman, an 
intolerable burden; and on the 12th of October, 1753, five days 
after his arrival, he put a period to his own existence. 

Mr. De Lancy, the chief justice, was appointed lieutenant gov- 
ernor, a short time previous to Governor Clinton's resignation, 
and now assumed the reins of government. 

Desirous of retaining the affections of the people, and disposed to side with 
their representatives in those measures which were advantageous to the colony, 
while at the same time he held his office at the will of the English government, 
Mr. De Lancy had a difficult task to perform ; but the skill with which he concili- 
ated both parties, does honor to his ability, as a statesman. 

In 1754 a convention of delegates from the colonies of New 
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland and New York, met at Albany, to devise 
some plan of common defence against the French, who had 
again commenced hostilities. 

At this convention Dr. Franklin, afterwards so eminent in the history of the 
Revolution, proposed a plan for political union, which was rejected by the provin- 
cial assemblies, on the ground that it gave too much power to the crown, and by 
the English government, because it gave too much power to the people. 



72 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

In September, 1755, Sir Charles Hardy, an admiral* in the 
British navy, arrived in New York, as governor. Being unac- 
quainted with civil affairs, he gave the management of these to 
Mr. De Lancy. In the spring of this year, the colonies had 
made extensive preparations for an attack on the enemy, but, 
owing to the ignorance of the commanders of the English forces, 
of the tactics of Indian warfare, the campaign was utterly un- 
successful. Braddock, who was sent against Fort Du Quesne, 
(now Pittsburgh,) was killed, and his army routed, by a small 
body of Indians. Crown Point, and Niagara, both French 
posts, although assailed, were not captured. 

Nor was the campaign of 1756 more successful. The Eng- 
lish fort at Oswego was captured, 1600 men taken prisoners, 
and a large quantity of stores seized, by the French. 

The campaign of 1757 was still more unsuccessful. Fort 
William Henry, on Lake George, with a garrison of 3000 men, 
was compelled to surrender. These repeated misfortunes awa- 
kened the energies of the English. 

In 1758, William Pitt (Lord Chatham) was placed at the 
head of government, in England, and a new impulse was given 
to the energies of the nation. Success soon followed. In July, 
Louisburg, which at the former peace had been restored to the 
French, was recaptured. Fort Frontenac, on Lake Ontario, 
(now Kingston, C. W.) was captured soon after, and the 
French compelled to abandon Fort Du Q,uesne. General Aber- 
crombie attacked Fort Ticonderoga, but unsuccessfully. 

Stimulated by this success, New York, in 1759, exerted her- 
self to the utmost, and raised $625,000 in five months, and lev- 
ied a force of 2680 men. Ticonderoga was captured by General 
Amherst, early in the season, and Crown Point surrendered a 
few days later. In July, General Prideaux invested Fort Niag- 
ara, and though he was killed in the attack, Sir William John- 
son, his successor in the command, succeeded in reducing it. 
On the 13th of September, the brave General Wolfe laid down 
his life, in the moment of victory, when the English banners 
floated over the towers of Quebec. 

The ensuing year the French, made an unsuccessful effort to 
recapture Quebec ; and on the 8th of September of that year, all 
the French possessions in Canada were surrendered to the 
British Government, and the French power extinguished there. 
Two small islands at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, St. Pierre 
and Miquelon, alone were preserved to them, of their former 
vast possessions. 

During the progress of these events, in July, 1760, Governor 
De Lancy suddenly deceased. He was succeeded by Dr. Cad- 
wallader Colden, the president of the council, who in August, 
1761, was appointed Lieutenant Governor. In October of the 



ENGLISH ADMINISTRATION. 73 

same year, General Robert Monkton arrived, with a Governor's 
commission, but left on the 15th of the ensuing month, to com- 
mand an expedition against Martinique, and the government 
again devolved upon Dr. Colden. 

It was during his administration, that the difficulties between 
New Hampshire and New York commenced, relative to the 
territory, now known as the state of Vermont. 

By the original patent, granted to the Duke of York, this tract was included. 
New Hampshire, however, claimed it under her charter ; and, contending that 
the charter of the Duke of York was obsolete, proceeded to make extensive grants 
of land, to the settlers on the west side of the Connecticut. Emigration pro- 
gressed rapidly, and in 1763, 138 townships had been granted, by New Hamp- 
shire, covering a large portion of the present state of Vermont. 

Governor Colden was not the man to sit by, and tamely submit, to what he 
deemed injustice to his colony. He issued a proclamation, claiming jurisdiction 
as far east as the Connecticut, and ordered the sheriff to make returns to him, of 
any persons, who had taken possession, under the authority of New Hampshire. 

The Governor of New Hampshire issued a counter proclamation, and the mat- 
ter was referred to the Crown, which decided in favor of New York. The at- 
tempt to enforce this decision, and to induce the inhabitants to take out new 
deeds under New York, was, with some exceptions, ineffective, and led to con- 
stant hostilities between the Vermont settlers, and the government of New York. 

In 1764 the news of the passage of the Stamp Act, (which 
rendered all deeds, bonds, notes, &c, invalid, unless written on 
stamped paper, which should pay a duty to the Crown,) excited 
universal indignation among the people. An organization was 
soon fprmed in this, as well as some of the adjacent states, 
called " The Sons of Liberty," which offered the most daring re- 
sistance, to this aggression upon the rights of the people. 

Governor Colden attempted to enforce the act, but the at- 
tempt called down the hostility of the people upon him, and but 
for his age, he would undoubtedly have suffered in person. As 
it was, his effigy was carried about the city, and hung upon a 
gallows erected for the purpose, and his carriage and other 
property destroyed. 

When the stamps arrived, he was obliged to surrender them to 
the city corporation, and await the action of the Governor, Sir 
Henry Moore, who arrived in July, 1765, and by the advice of his 
council, was deterred from attempting farther to enforce the act. 

On the 1st Tuesday in October, 1765, a Congress composed 
of delegates from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, 
New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, 
and South Carolina, met at New York, to take into considera- 
tion, the invasion of the rights of the colonies, by the Stamp Act. 

New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia, did not send delegates, 
but two of them expressed their sympathy with the Congress, and the others had 
no meeting of their legislatures, in time to appoint delegates. This Congress 
made a declaration of the rights and privileges of the colonies, and petitioned for 
redress. 

The Stamp Act was repealed on the 18th of March, 1766 ; but 



74 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

the offensive declaration accompanied the repeal, that " Parlia- 
ment possessed the power, to bind the colonies in all cases, what- 
soever." 

In 1767, Charles Tovvnsend, chancellor of the English ex- 
chequer, proposed a new bill, levying duties on glass, paper, 
paints and tea. This passed, and the inhabitants entered, as 
they had previously done, into non-importation agreements, by 
which they pledged themselves to use none of these articles, 
nor, so far as it could be avoided, other articles of British manu- 
facture. In 1769, five-sixths of these duties, and in 1770, all of 
them, were repealed, except the duty on tea. The people of 
New York, as well as of the other colonies, rigidly abstaining 
from the use of this beverage, no excitement was produced ; and 
from 1770 to 1774 a period of calmness ensued, although the 
English government and the colonists regarded each other with 
jealousy. 

Attempts were made, in 1767, to settle the boundary between Massachusetts 
and New York. Massachusetts, under her charter, claimed to the Pacific Ocean, 
and had repeatedly attempted to make settlements within the bounds of New 
York. The attempt to establish these settlements, had produced collision, and in 
several instances, bloodshed. Commissioners from the two colonies met at New 
Haven, in October, 1767, and determined that the Massachusetts line should run 
twenty miles east of Hudson river, but could not agree in regard to the manner 
of running that line. 

In September, 1769, Sir Henry Moore deceased. His course, 
during the period in which he acted as Governor, had been pru- 
dent, mild, and dignified. He had, as far as possible, abstained 
from controversy with the assembly and people, interpreting his 
instructions from the government in England, as liberally as lay 
in his power. His death was much lamented. Governor Col- 
den again occupied his place, although very much advanced in 
years. 

Governor Dunmore assumed the government in November, 
1770 ; but his administration continued only a few months, and 
was marked by no important event. He was the first Governor 
supported by the Crown, a measure against which New York 
protested, as calculated to make the executive independent of 
the popular branch of the government. Daring his short con- 
tinuance in office, a contest took place with the legislature, in 
regard to quartering the King's troops, to which the assembly 
were wholly averse, but to which, under the threats of the Brit- 
ish govern .nent, they were obliged to submit. 

Liberty poles had, at this period, been frequently erected in New York city, 
and as often cut down and destroyed by the British soldiery, who entertained the 
bitterest hostility to the citizens. After repeated efforts, the inhabitants erected 
one upon private grounds, so frmly encased in iron, that the soldiers could not 
destroy it. 



ENGLISH ADMINISTRATION. 75 

Lord Dunmore having been appointed Governor of Virginia, 
Governor Tryon succeeded him on the 8th of July, 1771. 

In 1772, the New Hampshire grants became a renewed source 
of serious disquietude to the colony. Governor Tryon offered a 
reward of fifty pounds for the apprehension of Ethan Allen, 
Seth Warner, and six others of the most obnoxious of the set- 
tlers ; and the New York assembly passed an act, declaring the 
opposition of these citizens to the government of New York, 
felony. Allen and his coadjutors, in return, hurled their defi- 
ance at the Governor, and those who were sent to arrest them. 

In the Spring of 1775, matters appeared to be approaching a 
crisis, in regard to this territory. A collision took place, be- 
tween the officers of New York, and the citizens of Westmin- 
ster county, Vermont, in which one man was killed, and several 
wounded. But for the occurrence of the battle of Lexington, 
at this juncture, probably a serious civil war would have en- 
sued. 

The British government resolved, in 1773, to accomplish by 
cunning, what they had tailed to attain by iorce. They remit- 
ted to the East India Company, the customary English duties 
on tea, and permitted them to ship it for America, with only a 
duty of three pence per pound, to be paid, on landing it, at any 
American port. They supposed that as this would make the 
price of tea lower than in England, the colonists would not ob- 
ject to it; but the colonists saw, in this measure, the same prin- 
ciple, against which they had been contending. 

The course adopted by the different colonies, is well known. In New York, a 
meeting of " The Sons of Liberty" was called, on the receipt of the intelligence, 
and resolutions passed, that the tea should not be landed. Accordingly, when, in 
April, 1774, the tea ship, (the Nancy, commanded by Captain Lockyier,) arrived 
off Sandy Hook, the pilots, who had already received their instructions, refused 
to bring her any nearer the city. The captain however came up, and was waited 
upon, by a committee, who informed him, that he must return immediately to 
England, with his cargo ; and for the purpose of preventing his sailors from de- 
serting, a strong guard was stationed near his ship at Sandy Hook. Finding it 
useless to resist, he submitted to their commands. 

Meanwhile information was received that Captain Chambers, of the ship Lon- 
don, a man loud in his professions of patriotism, had brought out eighteen chests 
of tea, as a private venture. Being questioned by the committee, he denied it ; 
but upon their assuring him, that their evidence was so strong that they should 
search the ship, he confessed it, but attempted to apologize. His apologies did 
not avail. His tea was emptied into the harbor forthwith, and he permitted to 
withdraw. Embarking on board Lockyier's ship, he sailed for England, to hide 
his shame and disgrace. 

About this period a committee of observation was organized 
in New York, consisting of fifty perso is, who were invested 
with discretionary powers, with regard to the administration of 
government. 

On the 5th of September, 1774, a congress from the different 



76 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

colonies, met at Philadelphia. They adopted several resolu- 
tions, and prepared addresses to the King and both houses df 
Parliament, and to the people of Great Britain and Canada. 

To these addresses and resolutions prepared by Congress, 
the assembly of New York refused to give their assent. On the 
contrary, they addressed an exceedingly loyal and humble let- 
ter to the King, in which they represented their grievances, but 
without seeming much afflicted by them. They were undoubt- 
edly influenced to this course, by Governor Tryon, a man of 
very popular manners, and artful insinuating address, who had 
the skill, to mould the assembly to his will. 

This step of New York exerted a very important influence upon the future 
destiny of the colonies ; for the British Ministry were upon the point of yielding 
to their just demands, when the news of the defection of New York reached 
them. Stimulated by this, they continued that course of aggression, which ulti- 
mately led to the establishment of our liberties. 

Governor Tryon sailed for England in April, 1774, and re- 
turned in June, 1775. 

In April, 1775, a provincial convention was convened at New 
York, and elected delegates to the 2d Congress, which assem- 
bled at Philadelphia in May, 1775. 

The news of the battle of Lexington, (Mass,) on the 19th of 
April the same year, caused great excitement in the city of New 
York. At the desire of the committee of observation, a com- 
mittee of superintendence was elected by the citizens, consisting 
of 100 of the most respectable citizens ; and the arms in the city 
arsenal, and others about to be shipped to Boston, were seized. 

Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Skenesborough, (now White- 
hall,) were captured in May, by Colonels Ethan Allen and 
Benedict Arnold, and the entire command of Lake Champlain 
obtained. 

Governor Tryon returned, in June, from England and was welcomed by the 
citizens ; but his strenuous exertions to promote the royal cause, soon rendered 
him unpopular, and in October, considering his personal safety endangered, he 
took refuge on board the Asia, a ship of war lying in the harbor. 

On the 22d of May, 1775, a. provincial Congress was convened 
at New York, and efficient measures were taken for the mili- 
tary organization, and defence of the country. Two regiments 
were authorized to be raised, bounties were offered lor the man- 
ufacture of gunpowder and muskets in the province, fortifications 
were projected at Kingsbridge and the Highlands, and Philip 
Schuyler and Richard Montgomery were recommended to the 
Continental Congress for appointment, the first as a Major 
General, and the second as iirigadier General. 

Upon the adjournment of this Congress in September, for a month, they dele- 
gated their powers to a committee of safety, composed of three members from the 
city, and one, from each of the other counties. 

Generals Schuyler and Montgomery, at the direction of Con- 
gress, undertook an expedition against Quebec, which, though 



STATE ADMINISTRATION. 77 

at first, promising a favorable result, finally terminated unfortu- 
nately, in the death of Montgomery, and the repulse of the army. 

Many of the inhabitants of Try on county espoused the side of 
the mother country, under the direction of Sir John Johnson, 
son of Sir William, already mentioned, and made preparations 
to fight against the colony. General Schuyler was ordered by 
Congress to disarm them ; and calling out the Albany militia, 
who rallied around his standard to the number of 3000, he pro- 
ceeded into that county, and dispersed about 600 loyalists. The 
loyalists on Long Island also entrenched themselves, but were 
disarmed, and their leaders secured, by the Jersey militia. 
These events occurred in the winter of 1775. 

July 9th, 1776, the provincial Congress met at White Plains, 
and took the title of" The Representatives of the State of New 
York." On the first day of their meeting, they received the 
Declaration of Independence, and immediately passed a resolu- 
tion, approving it. Soon after, they enacted a law, that all per- 
sons, residing in the state, and enjoying the protection of its 
laws, who should be found guilty of aiding its enemies, should 
suffer death. 



THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 

In July, 1776, General Howe, and Admiral Howe, his brother, 
the British commanders of the land and naval forces, arrived 
at Staten Island. The inhabitants, at once, took the oath of alle- 
giance to the British Crown, and, together with a considerable 
number of loyalists, from New Jersey and Long Island, were 
embodied as a part of the British forces. 

At this period, the troops under Washington were unaccus- 
tomed to discipline, not well clothed, nor prepared for efficient 
military duty ; and consequently not to be relied upon, in a direct 
battle with the highly disciplined, and well appointed troops of 
England. From this fact, General Washington determined not 
to risk a general action, until his forces, by constant military 
exercise, and occasional skirmishes with the enemy, should ac- 
quire greater confidence in their own prowess 

It would have been fortunate, had he been able to maintain 
this position; but unhappily, in a conflict on Brooklyn Heights, 
on the 27th of August of this year, in which, at first, only a por- 
tion of the army were engaged, the entire troops finally became 
enlisted, and the Americans were routed w T ith severe loss both 
in killed and'prisoners. As the result of this unfortunate battle, 
Washington was compelled to evacuate New York city, and 
retreat towards Philadelphia, with one division of his army, 
while the other made its way northward, along the banks of the 



78 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Hudson. This event took place on the 12th of September, 1776. 
Previous to Washington's evacuating the city of New York, 
the public stores were removed to Dobb's ferry. 

On the 15th of September, the American General attempted 
to oppose the landing of the British forces, at Kip's and Turtle 
bays, but unsuccessfully, and with shameful demonstrations of 
cowardice on the part of the American soldiery. On the 16th 
of September occurred the battle of Harlaem heights, in which, 
though but few troops were engaged, the action was close, and 
the Americans recovered their courage and spirit. Washington 
having retreated into W T estchester Co., a partial action took place 
at White Plains, on the 2Sth of October, in which the Americans 
suffered some loss. 

Forts Washington and Lee, the former on the upper part of 
New York Island, the latter nearly opposite on the Jersey 
shore, were garrisoned by the Americans ; but by too small a 
force to resist successfully the British troops; and on the 16th 
of November, after a closely contested action, in which the ene- 
my met with a severe loss, the American garrison was com- 
pelled to surrender. With the remnant of his army, dispirited 
and disheartened, Washington retreated towards Philadelphia; 
but soon after, by his bold attack upon the Hessian forces at 
Trenton, he infused new courage into his troops, retrieved his 
own reputation, and turned the tide of war. 

Amid all the discouragements under which the cause of liberty labored, the 
New York provincial Congress did not despair. On the 23d of December, 1776, 
they put forth an address to the people, the production of the gifted, patriotic, 
and pure minded Jay, which was admirably adapted *.o encourage and animate 
the zeal of the friends of freedom. 

In May, 1777, Colonel Meigs, by a well devised and happily 
executed enterprise, took possession of, and destroyed a large 
quantity of the enemy's stores at Sag Harbor, L. I., and cap- 
tured ninety men. This enterprise was accomplished with a 
lorce of only 234 men. Congress voted him a sword, for this 
gallant exploit. 

In January, 1777, the territory known as the New Hamp- 
shire grants, assumed the title of the State of Vermont, and 
soon after adopted a constitution. On the 12th of March, a con- 
stitution, for the state of New York, was reported by a committee 
of the provincial Congress, which, on the 20th of April, 1777, 
was adopted. 

A few of its more important provisions should be here noticed. They were, 
1st, the requirement of a property qualification in the electors and the elected. 
2d, The appointing power was vested in the Governor, and a council, of four per- 
sons, chosen from the senate. By this council, sheriffs, coroners, justices of the 
peace, judges, both of the superior and inferior courts, mayors and recorders of 
the cities, and all the officers of state, were appointed. This immense amount of 
patronage, thus thrown into the hands of five individuals, proved a very serious 
evil. 3d, The Governor was invested with the power of proroguing the legisla- 
ture when he saw fit. This constitution was revised and amended in 1821. 



STATE ADMINISTRATION. 79 

On the 23d of March, 1777, a detachment of 800 British 
troops landed at Peekskill, and set fire to the principal store- 
houses there; but finding that a large force of Americans were 
approaching, they retreated. On the 26th of April, Governor 
Tryon, with 2000 troops, tories and regulars, proceeded to 
Danbury, Ct., and burned eighteen houses, and a quantity of 
stores ; but was attacked by the Americans, and compelled to 
retire with considerable loss. 

Under the new constitution, George Clinton was elected 
Governor; but, being at that time in the service of Congress, 
he did not meet the assembly, at its session. John Jay was 
appointed Chief Justice, C. R. Livingston, Chancellor, John 
Morin Scott, Secretary of State, and Comfort Sands, Audi- 
tor General. 

At the adoption of the state constitution, there were fourteen counties in the 
state, viz. New York, Richmond, King's, Queen's, Suffolk, Westchester, Dutchess, 
Orange, Ulster, Albany, Tryon, Charlotte, Cumberland, and Gloucester. The last 
two, together with part of Albany and Charlotte counties, were within the 
limits of the present state of Vermont. The first six were mostly under the do- 
minion of the British, the Highlands being the limit, and were governed by Gen- 
eral Tryon till 1778, when he was succeeded by General Robertson. The Brit- 
ish had garrisoned most of the border posts, from which they kept up a sangui- 
nary and relentless warfare, upon the settlers, during the whole struggle. 

General Schuyler and Rev. Mr. Kirkland were, about this 
time deputed to hold a conference with the Iroquois, who, un- 
der the instigation of Sir John, and Colonel Guy Johnson, and 
the Butlers, as well as the famous Indian chief Brant, were 
making serious ravages on the frontier settlements. As the 
result of this conference, the Oneidas remained faithful to the 
Americans, while the remainder of the tribes, under the influ- 
ence of the Johnsons, took up arms, on the side of the British. 

Determined to leave nothing undone, to effect the entire sub- 
jugation of the rebel colonies, the English Ministers sent out a 
well appointed army, the flower of the English soldiery, to- 
gether with a numerous body of German troops, under the com- 
mand of General Burgoyne, an experienced officer, of known 
bravery, and of high reputation. 

General Burgoyne was directed to start from Quebec, and, 
scouring the country with his Indian allies, to effect a junction 
with Howe, at some point on the Hudson. As this would cut 
off all communication between New England and the other 
colonies, it was thought, that the work of subduing that section, 
would be comparatively easy. 

For the purpose of effecting this object, General Burgoyne 
detached Colonel St. Leger, with 1600 regular troops, tories, 
and Indians, to harass and destroy the frontier settlements. 
St Leger arrived, without opposition, before Fort Schuyler, 
which he besieged. 

Meantime, he despatched Sir John Johnson, with a body of 



80 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

tories and Indians, against General Herkimer, who was ad- 
vancing to the aid of Colonel Gansevoort, the commander of the 
fort. They met. at Oriskany. Herkimer's force was small and 
undisciplined. The battle was a severe one ; Herkimer was 
wounded at the first fire ; but the British were obliged to with- 
draw, defeated. Soon after, by a successful artifice, Arnold 
compelled St. Leger to raise the siege of Fort Schuyler, and re- 
treat into Canada, with the loss of his Indian allies. 

Burgoyne had pursued his march, with the main body of his 
army, thus far, in triumph; but soon, his fortune began to 
change. The Americans, under General Schuyler, had ob- 
structed his progress, from Lake Champlain to the Hudson, by 
felling trees, destroying the roads, &c, so that he was necessa- 
rily a long time employed, in the transportation of his artillery 
and stores. 

Finding that these were not sufficient, to last through the' campaign, he dis- 
patched Colonels Baum and Breyman, with more than 1500 chosen troops, to 
obtain stores at Bennington. These were met, and defeated, on the 16th of Au- 
gust, 1777, by the Green Mountain boys, under General Stark, and Colonel War- 
ner, and over 1000 killed, wounded, and taken prisoners. This loss materially 
impeded Burgoyne's progress, disheartened his army, and prepared the way for 
his defeat and surrender. 

On the 19th of September, a fierce and bloody battle was 
fought between the American forces, under General Gates, 
(who had now succeeded General Schuyler,) and Burgoyne's 
army, which resulted in severe loss on both sides, and the 
maintenance of their ground by both armies. The loss of the 
British, however, was much the largest. In this contest, Gen- 
eral Arnold and Colonel Morgan distinguished themselves, by 
acts of the most daring personal bravery. 

Burgoyne now fortified his position, and sent to Sir Henry 
Clinton, for reinforcements and supplies. The American army 
also entrenched themselves strongly, on Bemis' Heights, Sa- 
ratoga Co. On the 7th of October, Burgoyne, finding his stores 
failing, and receiving no intelligence from Sir Henry Clinton, 
resolved to attack the American entrenchments, and attempt 
to force his passage through to the Hudson. The battle was 
a severe one, but he was defeated, with the loss of 200 killed and 
wounded, and about the same number taken prisoners. 

On the 17th of the same month, after repeated attempts to 
escape from his perilous position, finding himself surrounded on 
every side by a victorious enemy, General Burgoyne surren- 
dered to General Gates, his entire army, consisting of 5792 men, 
together with 5000 stands of arms, 42 field pieces, and large 
quantities of ammunition. This splendid victory did much to- 
wards achieving our nation's independence. 

On the 17th of November following, Congress adopted the ar- 



STATE ADMINISTRATION. 



81 



ticies of confederation, for the different states. These were ap- 
proved, by the legislature of New York, February 6th, .778. 

The repeated incursions of the Indians upon the frontier set- 
tlements, particularly the cruel outrage at Wyoming called 
loudly for retributive justice. But their crimes were still to as- 
sume a deeper dye. In November, 1778, Colonel Alden, the 
commander at Cherry Valley, received intelligence that an at- 
tack was intended, upon that place. With a fatal and unac- 
countable stupidity, he paid no attention to the report On the 
10th, the Indians and tories, under the command ol the blood- 
thirsty Walter Butler, and the Indian chieitain Brant, ap- 
proached the settlement, killed Colonel Alden, butchered about 
twenty of the inhabitants, mostly women and children, took 
nearly forty prisoners, and, after plundering and burning all their 
houses, departed. . 

To punish these depredations, General Sullivan, in August, 
1778 at the head of an efficient force, visited the country of the 
Senecas, destroyed eighteen of their villages, laid waste their 
whole territory, and most signally defeated them. 

In April of the same year, Colonel Van Schaick attacked the 
Onondagas, who had been the most troublesome of the border 
tribes, destroyed their villages, took between thirty and lorty 
prisoners, and killed twelve of the Indians. These severe 
blows, for a time, put these tribes in check. 

On the 28th of September, 1778, two detachments of the 
enemy's troops, sent by Sir Henry Clinton, surprised a part of 
Colonel Baylor's regiment of cavalry, stationed at Tappan by 
night, and butchered sixty-seven out of one hundred and four 
men, unresisting and asking for quarter. 

In May, 1779, Sir Henry Clinton made an expedition in per- 
son, up the Hudson, compelled the garrison at Verplanck's 
Point to surrender, after a short but spirited resistance, and 
took possession of Stoney Point, which was abandoned by the 
Americans. At his return, he garrisoned both forts. 

On the 16th of July, 1778, General Washington commis- 
sioned General Anthony Wayne to storm the British fort at 
Stoney Point, a strong fortress, which was the resort of tory 
refugees, who sallied out occasionally, and ravaged the neigh- 
bor-in- settlements. The fort was carried at the point of the 
bayonet, and with trifling loss. Owing to the weakness of the 
American force, however, it was soon found necessary to aban- 
don it, and it was afterwards re-occupied by the enemy. 

Soon after, Major Lee made a daring and successful expe- 
dition against Paulus Hook, (Powles Hook,) now Jersey City, 
and captured the British garrison, consisting of 150 men, di- 



82 STATE OF NEW YORK, 

rectly under the guns of the British ships of war, lying in the 
Hudson river. 

General Arnold had been, thus far, distinguished in the Revo- 
lution, for his reckless daring, his chivalric bravery, and his ap- 
parently ardent patriotis n ; but amid all, the private character 
of the man was known to be vicious and corrupt. His reputa- 
tion was stained by dishonesty, rapacity, and meanness. In 
consequence of a severe wound, received in the last battle with 
Burgoyne, he was disabled from active service, and in the sum- 
mer of 1778, General Washington assigned to him the com- 
mand of the city of Philadelphia. His extravagance, reckless- 
ness, and dishonesty, drew down upon him the displeasure of 
the citizens, who were loud in their complaints against him ; 
and in March, 1779, he resigned his command. 

In April, he married Miss Shippen, a lady who had been a 
distinguished belle, had received the attentions -of the British 
officers, during their occupancy of that city, and was at heart a 
loyalist. Through her correspondence with some of the Brit- 
ish officers, an opportunity was offered to Arnold, to communi- 
cate with the enemy ; and he finally took the resolution to sell 
himself, and his country, for British gold, in order to rid himself 
of his pecuniary embarrassments. To make his treachery more 
valuable, in August, 1780, he solicited, and obtained the com- 
mand of the strong and important post of West Point, the key 
of the Hudson. 

In order to settle finally the terms of his treachery, Sir Henry 
Clinton despatched Major Andre, an Adjutant General in his 
army, (who had been Mrs. Arnold's correspondent, and with 
whom, over a feigned signature, Arnold had also corresponded,) 
to have an interview with the traitor, and agree upon the de- 
tails of his infamous treason. They met, made their arrange- 
ments, and parted; Arnold to return to his post, and Andre to 
New York. 

Before reaching that city, however, the latter was arrested 
by three militia men, and having been convicted by a Court 
Martial, was hanged as a spy. Arnold succeeded in making 
his escape, though not in surrendering the important post which 
he commanded, and his base treachery was rewarded by the 
British Government, with the office of a Brigadier General, 
and the sum of £10,000 sterling. But he w r as never trusted im- 
plicitly by the British, and so strong was the feeling of loathing, 
on the part of the British officers, of his meanness, that many 
of them refused to serve under him. 

In the hope of securing him and bringing him to a just punishment ; and with 
a view to save the gifted, but unfortunate Andre, from the fate he had brought 



STATE ADMINISTRATION. 83 

upon himself, General Washington commissioned Mr. Champe, a Sergeant Major 
in Major Lee's regiment, to proceed to the British camp, professedly as a deser- 
ter, and to endeavor to seize the person of Arnold. The attempt was unsuc- 
cessful. 

In 1780, 81, Brant, the Mohawk chief, in conjunction with 
Sir John Johnson nd Walter Butler, made several incursions 
upon the frontier settlements, in the Schoharie and Mohawk 
valleys. In August, a force under Colonel Marinus Willet pur- 
sued and routed these marauders, and killed Butler, whose sav- 
age cruelties had rendered him notorious. The remaining 
scenes of the war of the Revolution, mostly occurred in the 
southern states, and therefore do not come within the scope of 
this historical sketch. 

In 1782, the English Government resolved to relinquish the 
hopeless contest with their colonies. On the 30th of November 
of that year, provisional articles of peace were agreed upon; 
and on the 25th of November, 1783, the British troops evacu- 
ated New York, and Wasiii g i , with his army, entered in 
triumph. On the 4th of December, Washington took an affec- 
tionate farewell of his officers; and after resigning to Congress, 
then in session at Annapolis, Maryland, his commission, retired 
to Mount Vernon, to spend the remainder of his days in retire- 
ment and domestic felicity. 

Events which transpired, soon after the Revolution, demon- 
strated, most conclusively, that the compact, which had con- 
nected the different states of the Union together, during the 
war, would not suffice, to maintain that connection, in time of 
peace. In 1787, therefore, in accordance with a resolution of 
Congress, delegates were elected from this state to meet those 
of the other states, in convention at Philadelphia, in May, to 
frame a new constitution. The delegates chosen from this state, 
were Messrs. Yates, Lansing, and Alexander Hamilton. 

The constitution prepared by this convention was not at first satisfactory to a 
majority of the citizens of New York. But the" powerful exposition and de- 
fence of it, by Mr. Hamilton, John Jay and others, in the essays published under 
the title of " The Federalist," tended to bring about a change of feeling, in regard 
to it; and on the 26th of July, 1788, it was ratified, in convention, by the state, 
not, however, without the recommendation of several amendments, which were 
not adopted. 

During this period, and until 1795, George Clinton, whose 
services in the Revolution had been so eminent and valuable, 
held the office of Governor. 

A general organization act was passed, in 1788, by the legis- 
lature, dividing the state into fourteen counties, which were 
subdivided into townships. The western and central portions 
of the state, now free from the hostile inroads of savages, pros- 
pered, and rapidly increased in population and wealth. 



84 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

In 1790, the difficulties, which for twenty-six years, had exist- 
ed between New York and Vermont, and which had been the 
cause of bloodshed and bitter hostility, between the citizens of 
the two states, were amicably adjusted. 

But for the patriotism and prudence of her leaders, Vermont would probably 
have been, to this day, an integral portion of the British empire. In addition to 
other and more patriotic motives, it cannot be denied that the jealousy of the in- 
creasing influence of the southern states in Congress, tended to predispose New- 
York favorably, to a settlement. 

Commissioners having been appointed, by both states, in 1789, 
met and reported in October, 1790, in favor of the payment, by 
Vermont, to New York, of the sum of $30,000, for the extinction 
of the land claims, held by the latter ; and that New York, upon 
.such payment, should relinquish all claims, either to land, or 
jurisdiction, in Vermont, and acquiesce in her admission to the 
Union. This report was approved by both states, and in 1791, 
Vermont was received into the confederacy. 

In 1791, the agriculture of the state received a new impulse, from the organi- 
zation of a society for the promotion of agriculture, arts and manufactures. 

The same year, a committee was appointed by the legislature, to inquire into 
the most eligible method, of removing obstructions from the Hudson and Mohawk 
rivers. The next year, (1792,) two companies were formed, styled the Northern 
and Western Inland Lock Navigation companies, to improve the navigation of the 
Hudson and Mohawk, and to connect the Oneida and Ontario lakes with the lat- 
ter, and Lake Champlain with the former. For the purpose of aiding them in 
this enterprise, the state became a subscriber to their stock, to the amount of 
$92,000. This, though productive of no great practical results, was the first step, 
in that system of internal improvement, so ably advocated and carried out, by the 
genius and perseverance of Be Witt Clinton. 

During this period manufactures did not prosper ; and our 
country was supplied with most of the products of art, from 
England and France. In 1785, Governor Clinton having de- 
clined being a candidate for re-election to the office of Gover- 
nor, John Jay, whose patriotic services in the Revolution, as a 
statesman, have been already noticed, was chosen his successor. 

The legislature, in 1796, granted to the Oneida, Cayuga, 
Onondaga, and Erothertown Indians, $9852, to extinguish their 
title, to certain lands previously possessed by them. In 1798, 
Governor Jay was re-elected, and continued in office till 1801. 
The legislature passed, in 1801, another general organization 
act, by which the state was divided into thirty counties. 

In 1801, a convention was called, by an act of the legislature, to amend the 
constitution. Colonel Aaron Burr was elected President of the convention. By 
the act, under which the convention assembled, they were limited, in their 
amendments, to two points : the first, as to the number of the members of each 
house of the legislature, and the second, the determination of the question, 
whether the right of nomination to office, should be vested exclusively in the 
Governor, or in the Governor and Council jointly. The convention decided upon 
the latter interpretation of the constitution. 

The same year, 1801, Governor Jay having refused to be 
again a candidate for office, Governor Clinton was again elect- 



STATE ADMINISTRATION. 85 

ed to the chief magistracy. In 1804, Governor Clinton being 
elected Vice President of the United States, Morgan Lewis 
was chosen as his successor. Daniel D. Tompkins succeeded 
Mr. Lewis as Governor, in 1807. The same year, Albany was 
made the capital of the State. 

In August, 1807, Robert Fulton made his first trip with the 
Clermont, the first steamboat which ever plied successfully the 
waters of the World.* In this enterprise he was aided by 
Robert R. Livingston, one of the most distinguished statesmen 
of the state or nation. 

The embargo laid this year by Congress, on all American shipping, at Mr. 
Jefferson's recommendation, in order to counteract the injurious effects of the 
British orders in council, and Napoleon's Berlin and Milan decrees, bore hard 
upon New York, and excited much opposition, for a period. 

Governor Tompkins was re-elected in 1810. 

The difficulties between Great Britain and our own country, 
to which we have already alluded, had for several years been 
the subject of anxiety and bitter feeling; and every year they 
had assumed a more unpleasant character. In addition to the 
injuries already inflicted by England, on our commerce, as a 
neutral power, she claimed the right to search our merchant 
vessels; and if her officers found on board of them, men, whom 
they chose to regard as British subjects, they seized them and 
compelled them to serve in their navy. 

Our government remonstrated, but remonstrances proved 
unavailing ; the outrage upon our national flag was repeated, 
Under these circumstances our statesmen conceived that they 
had no alternative, but to declare war upon that nation. Ac-^ 
cordingly, on the 19th of June, 1812, the President, being duly 
authorized by Congress, proclaimed war against Great Britain. 

Deeming it of the greatest importance to subjugate the Can- 
adas, and thus deprive the enemy of their strong holds, meas- 
ures were taken to concentrate a large force on the northern 
frontier of this state, and the eastern border of Michigan. 

General Dearborne was appointed to the command of the 
forces, and by his direction, General Harrison assumed the 
command of the north western division, making Detroit his head- 
quarters. General Stephen Van Rensselaer, having his head- 
quarters at Lewistown, commanded the central division, and 
the commander-in-chief, the eastern, making Plattsburg his 
place of rendezvous. 

* There are three other competitors for the honor of introducing steamboat 
navigation to the notice of the world, viz. John Fitch, of Hartford, Conn., Robert 
L. Stevens, of New York, and Mr. Evans, of Philadelphia. All undoubtedly 
deserve credit for the construction of vessels propelled by steam ; but it is be- 
lieved that to Fulton and Livingston belongs the honor of having demonstrated the 
practicability and advantages of this mode of navigation. 

5 



86 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Experience soon proved that, unfortunately, pride of opinion is sometimes 
stronger than love of country. A large minority of the citizens of this, and the 
adjacent states, were loud in their denunciations of the war ; and if they did not 
afford direct aid to the foe, they weakened the hands, and discouraged the hearts 
of those who were to contend with the enemy ; and furnished grounds of scru • 
pie, hy which the timorous and faint-hearted justified their cowardice. Under 
such adverse influences, officers of known spirit, and tried courage, faltered in 
meeting the foe, and surrendered to a force inferior to their own. 

The first considerable action of the war was disgraceful to 
our boasted prowess. General Hull, deputed to carry aggres- 
sive war into Canada, and to take the British post at Maiden, 
seemed panic-struck at the approach of the enemy. Forgetting 
his former renown, as a brave soldier, he returned to Detroit 
without striking a blow; and on the 16th of August, 1812, 
surrendered his whole force, consisting of about 2000 troops, 
occupying a strongly fortified garrison, together with the whole 
territory of Michigan, to General Brock, whose entire army con- 
sisted of only 700 British troops, and 600 Indians, 

General Van Rensselaer, with his command, was stationed 
at Lewiston, below the Falls. His troops, (principally militia,) 
often urged him to give them an opportunity of displaying their 
prowess by facing the enemy. Determining not to remain inac- 
tive, he despatched his aid-de-camp, Lieutenant Colonel Van 
Rensselaer, a brave and meritorious, but somewhat rash offi- 
cer, with about 225 men, to attack the British post of Queens- 
town, on the opposite shore of the Niagara river. 

The attack was successful at the outset, and but for the 
shameful cowardice of the troops remaining upon the American 
shore, would undoubtedly have terminated in a brilliant victory . 

Such were the pretended constitutional scruples of the remaining troops as to 
the propriety of crossing over to the enemy's territory, that when ordered to re- 
inforce Lieutenant Colonel Van Rensselaer, they preferred to see their brethren 
in arms cut to pieces, rather than move to their relief ; and thus nearly the 
whole force which had crossed the river, were either killed, or taken prisoners. 

General Van Rensselaer, disgusted with his army, soon after 
resigned his commission, and was succeeded by General Alex- 
ander Smyth, of Virginia. 

This officer appears to have been a mere braggart, for after issuing a pro- 
clamation, announcing the wonderful deeds he intended to perform, he finally 
ordered his troops into winter quarters, without accomplishing any thing. 

In January, 1813, occurred the battle of the River Raisin, in 
Michigan, one of the most sanguinary contests of the war. In 
this conflict, the British General, Proctor, acquired lasting in- 
famy from his inhumanity to the American troops, who had 
surrendered; giving them up to the savages for torture and 
massacre, in violation of his solemn pledge to General Win- 
chester, the American commander. 



STATE ADMINISTRATION. 87 

In February, 1813, Captain Forsyth, commander of the Amer 
ican forces at Ogdensburg, crossed the St. Lawrence in pur 
suit of some prisoners whom the English had taken from his 
vicinity and succeeded in capturing some military stores and 

?^%j ^^T™™' Ioi r o Venge f0r this act ' the British, on 
the 22d of February, 1813, crossed the St. Lawrence with a 

w-?^ 6r c bl6 f ° rCe ' , and t00k °^ en ^burg. Forsyth, however, 
with his forces, made good their retreat. 

On the 27th of April, 1813, General Dearborne made a suc- 
cessful attack upon York, now Toronto, (Canada West) aided 
by the squadron of Commodore Chauncey. After a «h'ort re- 
sistance, it was captured, together with a large quantity ofmili- 

aZ? nm t The f °T d f tailed f ° r thls se?vice ' « 
about 1700 troops, under the command of General Z. M Pike 

^h^TrVV^ ret / 6at ' laidatrain of combustibles to their magazine, 
with the fiendish design of thus destroying the invaders. The scheme was in 
part, successful ; and the brave and noble hearted Pike was killed, by "he exolo 
sion, at the head of his troops, in the moment of triumph. The troops fahered 
for a moment, but rallied instantly, and drove the foe from the field The British 
STbouTaSo. aCti ° n 4n kiUed ' W ° Unded ' and PriS ° nerS ' ab ° Ut 75 °- The Americans, 

Early in May, 1813, the Americans evacuated the fort at 
k? ^ ^11 removed t0 Four mile creek, a short distance 
below b ort Niagara, and, in connection with a force of 100 men 
who were landed from two armed schooners despatched to co- 
operate with them, took possession of some military stores at 
that place, belonging to the enemy, and then proceeded in safety 
to Fort Niagara. ' 

On the 27th of May, a descent was made, by Commodore 
Chauncey, upon Fort George, which surrendered, after a short 
contest. The American loss in killed and wounded, was 150 : 
the British, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, 386, beside 507 
militia men, released on their parole. 

On the 23d of June, General Dearborne sent Lieutenant 
Colonel Boerstler with 570 men, to Beaver Dam, to disperse 
a body of the enemy. When within about two miles of that 
place, he was attacked by the foe, who, in ambuscade, had 
awaited his approach. After a short contest, he succeeded 
in driving them into an open field, and sent an express to Gen- 
eral Dearborne for reinforcements ; but before they could arrive, 
he was surrounded by a superior force, and compelled to sur- 
render. 

During the period occupied by these enterprises, the enemy 
were not idle. About the last of May, Commodore Chauncey 's 
fleet having left Sackett's Harbor, for Fort George, Sir George 
Prevost made a descent, upon the town, with 1000 troops, but 
was repulsed with considerable loss. On the 19th of June, the 
British landed and burned the village of Sodus, where some 



88 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

military stores were deposited. On the following day, they 
made an unsuccessful attempt to land at Oswego. On the 2d 
of July,- they again attacked Sackett's Harbor, but with no bet- 
ter success than before. On the 11th, they crossed over to 
Black Rock, and succeeded in capturing some stores. 

Meantime, both parties were seeking to secure the exclusive 
control of Lake Erie. Commodore Perry, by extraordinary 
exertion, had built and equipped an American squadron oi 
nine vessels, carrying fifty-four guns; and Commodore Bar- 
clay had prepared a British squadron of six vessels, mounting 
sixty-three guns. 

The two squadrons met on the 10th of September, 1813, 
near the western extremity of the lake. Owing to a calm at the 
commencement of the action, the Lawrence, Commodore 
Perry's flag-ship, was exposed to almost the whole fire of the 
enemy, and soon disabled. 

At this juncture, when the foe were ready to triumph, Perry, 
with four of his men, leaped into a boat, flag in hand, and a 
gentle breeze springing up at the time, brought the Niagara, 
to which he had transferred his flag, into action. Through the 
exertions of Captain Elliot, her commander, the remainder of 
the vessels were brought up, and the Niagara led the way 
through the enemy's line, supported by the rest of the squadron, 
pouring successive broadsides into five of their vessels. In a 
short time, the entire fleet of the enemy surrendered. 

Commodore Perry communicated to General Harrison the following intelligence 
of his victory : " We have met the enemy, and they are ours." 

This victory resulted in the evacuation of Detroit, by the Erit- 
ish army, which was pursued and overtaken by General Harri- 
son, on the river Thames, about eighty miles from Detroit. At 
this point was fought, on the 5th of October, the battle of the 
Thames, one of the most brilliant of the campaign. At this bat- 
tle, Tecumseh was killed, and the Indian force dispersed. 

Preparations were now made by the American army for an 
attack on Montreal ; and for this purpose, the divisions, com- 
manded by Generals Wilkinson and Hampton, were ordered to 
form a junction on the St. Lawrence. General Wilkinson 
moved down the river with his troops, early in November, and 
on the 19th of that month, a severe, but indecisive action was 
fought at Williamsburgh. Both parties claimed the victory. 
The American loss in killed and wounded was about 300 ; the 
British, about 200. Owing to some misunderstanding, the 
junction of the two divisions was not effected, and soon after, 
they went into winter quarters. 

In December, General McClure, commanding at Fort George, 
hearing of the approach of a large British force, dismantled 



STATE ADMINISTRATION. 89 

and abandoned the fort, having previously burned the Canadian 
village of Newark, now called Niagara. 

On the 19th of this month, the British crossed the river and 
carried Fort Niagara by storm ; and to revenge the burning of 
Newark, they proceeded to burn Lewistown, Youngstown, 
Manchester, now called Niagara Falls' Village, and the Tus- 
carora Indian village. On the 30th, they crossed again, and 
burned Black Rock and Buffalo. These villages were only 
guarded by small bodies of militia, who could oppose no effectual 
resistance to the marauders. 

On the 3d of July, 1814, Generals Scott and Ripley with 
about 3000 troops, crossed the Niagara river and took Fort 
Erie, without opposition. The next day, General Brown ad- 
vanced, with the main body of his forces to Chippeway, about 
two miles south of the Falls. Here, on the 5th, General Riall, 
at the head of the British army, advanced to give them battle. 
The contest was severe, but resulted in favor of the Americans. 
The enemy lost nearly 500 men ; our own troops, 338. 

General Riall, after his defeat, withdrew to Queenstown, 
and afterwards to Burlington Heights. Here he was reinforced 
by General Drummond, who took the command. The enemy 
appeared before the camp, just before sunset, on the 25th of 
July. The American army immediately formed in the order 
of battle, at Lundy's Lane, about half a mile north west from 
the Falls ; and there, amid the eternal roar of Niagara, the 
two infuriated hosts continued in deadly conflict, till past mid- 
night. 

This was the most hotly contested action of the war ; General Scott led the 
advance, and first engaged a body of the enemy, greatly his superior in numbers, 
for an hour. Both parties were then reinforced, and the action renewed with 
greater fury than before. The British artillery was so placed upon an eminence, 
as to rake every part of the American army ; and it became evident that the 
result of the battle depended on the capture of that battery. 

General Scott rode up to Colonel Miller and inquired, " can you storm that 
battery 7" " I can try, Sir ;" was the laconic reply ; and in a few moments, he 
was seen at the head of his regiment, impetuously charging upon the artillery, 
his ranks thinned at every step by the cannon balls. 

The enemy resisted bravely, but could not withstand the charge. Three times 
they returned to the attack, but their battery was turned against them with mur- 
derous force ; and no sooner did they come within its range, than the deadly 
rifle, wielded with unerring aim, mowed them down by platoons. 

General Drummond was himself wounded, and the army 
driven from the field. The British force engaged in this battle, 
was nearly one third greater than the American. The loss of 
the enemy was 878 ; of the American troops, 858. 

Generals Brown and Scott having both been wounded in the 
battle, the command devolved on General Ripley, who thought 
it prudent to retire to Fort Erie. Here, on the 4th of August, 



90 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

he was besieged by General Drummond, at the head of five 
thousand men. Meanwhile, General Gaines arrived at the 
fort and took the command, as senior officer. On the 15th, the 
British made an assault on the fort, but were repulsed with the 
loss of nearly 1000 men. On the 17th of September, General 
Brown having recovered and taken the command, a sortie was 
made from the fort, and the advanced troops of the besiegers de- 
feated. 

Soon after, hearing that General Izard was on his way with 
reinforcements, the enemy raised the siege and returned to Fort 
George. In November, Fort Erie was abandoned and dis- 
mantled by the Americans, who, crossing the river, went into 
winter quarters, in the neighborhood of the Lakes. 

Meantime, events were occurring in the eastern part of the 
state, which materially hastened the termination of the war. 
General Wilkinson went into winter quarters at French Mills, 
now Fort Covington. In the latter part of winter,- he broke up 
his encampment and removed to Plattsburg. On the 30th of 
March, 1814, he penetrated into Canada, and attacked a body 
of the enemy at LaColle Mills, on the Sorel river, but was re- 
pulsed with some loss, and returned to Plattsburg, where he was 
soon after superseded in command by General Izard. 

Early in September, Sir George Prevost advanced tow T ards 
Plattsburg with an army of 14,000 men, mostly European vet- 
erans, who had served under Wellington. At the same time, 
Commodore Downie appeared on Lake Champlain with seven- 
teen sail, mounting ninety-five guns, and carrying 1020 men. 
To oppose this force, General Macomb had only 1500 regular 
troops, and about 2500 militia; and Commodore McDonough, a 
squadron of fourteen sail, mounting eighty-six guns, and carry- 
ing 82D men. 

The two armies engaged in battle on Sunday, the 11th of 
September. The action between the land forces and the squad- 
rons commenced simultaneously. The British made the great- 
est exertions to cross the Saranac, but were repulsed at every 
attempt, with severe loss ; and their squadron having been cap- 
tured, and mostly destroyed, they retreated precipitately, leav- 
ing behind them large quantities of military stores. The entire 
loss of the British, in this action, including killed, wounded, pris- 
oners, and deserters, was estimated at 2500. The remaining 
battles of the war were fought at the south. 

On the 24th of December, 1814, the treaty of Ghent was sign- 
ed by the commissioners of the two countries, and on the 17th 
of February, 1815, this treaty was confirmed by the President 
and Senate. 



STATE ADMINISTRATION. 91 

Of the events which have transpired in this state since the 
war, there are so many living witnesses, that we shall give 
but a brief notice. 

The canal project, which, during the war, had been forgotten, 
or neglected, was soon revived. In 1816, some steps were 
taken for bringing it before the legislature ; and in 1817, the 
petition of more than 100,000 citizens of the state, asking that 
laws should be passed for its construction, was presented to that 
body, and action taken thereon. The same year, the Erie and 
Champlain canals were both commenced and vigorously pros- 
ecuted to their final completion, which occurred, the latter in 
1823, and the former in 1S25. 

In 1817, Governor Tompkins was chosen Vice President of 
the United States, and De Witt Clinton, the ardent and zealous 
friend of the system of internal improvements, was elected his 
successor. Governor Clinton was re-elected to the same office, 
in 1S20. In 1821, a convention was called by an act of the legis- 
lature, to revise the constitution. This convention met at Alba- 
ny on the third Tuesday of June, 1821. The result of their 
deliberations, was the constitution, under which the state has 
been governed up to the year 1846. This constitution was 
ratified by the people, in December, 1821, by a majority of more 
than 33,000. 

In 1822, Mr. Clinton having declined the nomination, Joseph 
C. Yates, at that time Judge of the Supreme Court, was chosen 
Governor. Mr. Clinton was re-elected, however, to that office, 
in 1824; and again in 1826. In 1825, the completion of the Erie 
Canal, and the union of the waters of Lake Erie and the Hud- 
son, was celebrated with great rejoicings. 

In 1826, the anti-masonic excitement commenced. 

The circumstances which led to it were these* William Morgan, a Royal 
Arch Mason, and a printer by trade, said to be a native of Virginia, had taken up 
his residence in the village of Batavia, Genesee county. Not having been suc- 
cessful in business, he, probably from pecuniary considerations, determined to 
publish a pamphlet, containing a disclosure of the secrets of Masonry. His in- 
tentions were discovered by some of his fellow Masons, who communicated them 
to others of their own and adjacent lodges. 

On the 11th of September, 1826, Mr. Cheesebrough, master of a lodge of Ma- 
sons at Canandaigua, Ontario county, procured a warrant from Jeffrey Chipman, 
a justice of the peace in Canandaigua, to arrest Morgan on charge of stealing a 
shirt and cravat. He with others then proceeded to Batavia, arrested Morgan, 
and brought him to Canandaigua, before Justice Chipman, who forthwith dis- 
charged him, as not guilty. 

He was then arrested, on a small debt due to one Aaron Ashley, which 
Cheesebrough alleged had been assigned to him. The justice rendered judgment 
against Morgan for two dollars, on which, upon the oath of Cheesebrough, he in- 

* The account of Morgan's abduction is abridged from Judge Hammond's Po- 
litical History of New York. 



92 STATE OF NEW YORK* 

stantly issued execution, and Morgan was committed to close confinement in 
Canandaigua jail. 

During the night of the 12th of September, he was clandestinely taken from 
jail, by a number of Masons, thrown into a covered carriage, gagged and conveyed, 
on the evening of the 14th, to the Canada side of the Niagara river, thence taken 
back to the American side, and left in confinement in the magazine of Fort 
Niagara. He remained there till the 29th of September, in charge of Colonel 
King, of Niagara county, and one Elisha Adams, at which time he disappeared, 
and has never since been heard of. The almost universal impression has pre- 
vailed that he was murdered at that time, by the direction of members of the 
Masonic fraternity. 

Measures were instantly taken to investigate this outrage ; but the committees 
appointed for this purpose, found themselves constantly thwarted, by members of 
the Masonic order, at this time in it6 most flourishing condition in this state. 
This opposition to an act of justice, excited the most intense feeling, among 
those members of community not connected with the Masons ; and the excite- 
ment, which, in communities less influenced by moral principle, would have 
prompted to deeds of violence, here found vent at the ballot box ; and for a num- 
ber of years, the anti-masons of Western New York, constituted a formidable 
political party. 

Ere this excitement had reached its highest intensity, Gov- 
ernor Clinton died, very suddenly, while conversing with some 
friends, on the 11th of February, 1828. This painful event 
caused a deep sensation throughout the community. 

Governor Clinton, though possessing some faults, had been an able and zealous 
friend of his native state. No man ever did more to promote her best interests. 
Amid discouragements which would have appalled ordinary men, he steadily ad- 
vocated and accomplished measures which time has proved eminently conducive 
to her welfare, it is sufficient proof of his patriotic foresight, that amid the 
ridicule of his associates, he dared to stake his reputation, on the success of the 
system of internal improvements. He has left an enduring record of his fame in 
the hearts of the people, whom his enlightened measures have endowed with 
plenty and prosperity. 

On the decease of Governor Clinton, General Nathaniel 
Pitcher, the Lieutenant Governor, officiated the remainder of 
the term. In November, 1828, Martin Van Buren was elected 
Governor, and Enos T. Throop, Lieutenant Governor. Mr. 
Van Euren being appointed Secretary of State, in March, 
1829, resigned his office, and Mr. Throop became acting Gov- 
ernor. 

During the session of the legislature, in the winter of 1828-9, 
on the recommendation of Governor Van Buren, the Safety 
Fund Banking Law was passed. The main features of this 
law were conceived and drawn up by Joshua Forman, Esq. 
and by him communicated to Governor Van Buren, who by the 
aid of Thomas Olcott, Esq. of Albany, matured and presented 
it to the legislature. 

In the autumn of 1830, Mr. Throop was elected Governor of 
the state. During his administration, there were a great num- 
ber of applications to the legislature, for aid to construct canals 
in different sections of the state, involving very large expendi- 



STATE ADMINISTRATION* 

Uifcs, and of doubtful pecuniary profit. Some of these, Govefii- 
nr Throop opposed as premature and unwise ; and his opposi- 
tion to them, though probably judicious, materially affected his 
popularity and rendered his re-election improbable. 

In 1832, William L. Marcy was chosen Governor 4 , and John 
Tracy, Lieutenant Governor. During the session of 1833, the 
bill authorizing the construction of the Chenango canal, a work 
attended with great expenditures, and which Was strongly op- 
posed, passed the legislature. Mr. Marcy and Mr. Tracy wero 
fe-elected to Office in 1S34, by a large majority. 

A law was passed, in 1835, directing the enlargement and 
improvement cf the Erie canal, and the construction of double 
locks. This law has involved the state in a debt of some mag- 
nitude, but when the proposed improvements are completed, 
they Will unquestionably greatly increase its revenues. 

At this session of the legislature, also, the bill to provide the" 
schools of the state with libraries, was passed ; a bill which it is 
hoped, will be of incalculable service to its youth. Governor 
Marcy and Lieutenant Governor Tracy, were, for a third time, 
elected to their respective offices. 

In 1838, the pecuniary depression of the country produced a 
change in the politics of the state, and William H. Seward of 
Orange county, was chosen Governor, and Luther Bradish of 
Franklin county, Lieutenant Governor. 

In 1840, the same gentlemen were re-elected; 

In 1842, William C. Bouck, of Schoharie county, was elected 
Governor. 

In 1844, Silas Wright of St. Lawrence county, who for a 
number of years had represented the State in the United States 
Senate, was elected Governor, and Addison Gardiner of Suffolk 
county, Lieutenant Governor. 

In June, 1846, a convention, elected by the people, to revise 
and amend the constitution of the state, commenced its session 
at Albany, and in October following, reported the constitution 
which is found in this work, for the action of the people in the 
ensuing month of November. It was adopted by the people by 
a majority of more than 20,000 votes. 

In November, 1846, John Young of Livingston county, was 
elected Governor and Addison Gardiner of Suffolk county, 
Lieutenant Governor. 

6* 



94 STATE OF NEW YOUli, 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS, 

The system of Internal Improvement, in which New York 
has taken the lead, forms an important portion of her history. 
It is interesting to trace the progress of the first of these mighty 
enterprises, which, in its completion, excited the astonishment 
and admiration of the whole confederacy, and even of the states 
of Europe. 

In 1784, Christopher Colles proposed to the legislature to 
improve the navigation of the Mohawk. In 1785, he received 
$125, to make investigations relative to this enterprise. He 
again came before the legislature in 1786, but became discour- 
aged from want of success. 

The subject was referred to by Governor Clinton, in his 
speech to the legislature, at the opening of the session of 1791 ; 
and an act passed concerning roads and inland navigation, di- 
recting the commissioners of the land office, to cause the lands 
between the Mohawk and Wood creek, in Herkimer county, 
and between the Hudson river and Wood creek, in Washington 
county, to be explored, and the probable expense of canals, be- 
tween these points, estimated. 

The commissioners reported in 1792, and Governor Clinton 
communicated their report, by a message, in which he consid- 
ered the practicability of effecting the object of the legislature, 
at a moderate expense, as ascertained. 

Mr. Adgate, Mr. Williams, Mr. Livingston and Mr. Barker, 
were the most efficient advocates of this measure in the legisla- 
ture. Mr. Elkanah Watson also wrote a number of essays on 
the subject, and, this year, the Western and the Northern Inland 
Lock Navigation Companies were chartered. General Schuy- 
ler, Thomas Eddy, Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, Barent Bleecker, 
Elkanah Watson, and Robert Bowrie, were among their most 
efficient advocates. 

In 1796, the Western Company completed a canal, two and 
three fourth miles long, at Little Falls, and another, one and 
one quarter miles long, at German Flats ; and, in 1797, a canal 
from the Mohawk to Wood creek, one and three-fourth miles 
long, in all, less than seven miles, with nine locks. 

In 1796, finding a reconstruction of their work necessary, they 
employed Mr. Weston, an English engineer; and when their 
canal would admit a passage from Schenectady to the Oneida 
lake, they had expended nearly $450,000. The tolls, how- 
ever, were so high, that few used their canal. The Niagara 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 95 

company was incorporated in 1798, to make a navigable com- 
munication between Lakes Erie and Ontario. It° however 
never went into operation. 

The distinguished Governeur Morris seems first to have con- 
ceived the idea of a continuous canal between the Hudson and 
Lake Erie. He alluded to it, in a letter to a friend, in 18Q0, 
and communicated it to the late Simeon De Witts, the surveyor 
general, in 1803. His plan, however, was, to have the canal 
constructed with a uniform declivity of six inches to a mile, and 
without locks, except on the slope of the Hudson. This plan 
afterwards proved impracticable. 

In 1807-8, Jesse Hawley, Esq., wrote a series of essays, which 
were published in the Genesee Messenger, urging the impor- 
tance of such a canal, and its immediate construction. 

In 1808, Joshua Forman presented to the legislature, his mem- 
orable resolution, in which, after reciting- in the preamble the 
various reasons for such a step, he proposes the appointment of 
a joint committee, to take into consideration the propriety of 
exploring and causing to be surveyed, the most eligible and di- 
rect route for a canal, to connect the waters of the Hudson and 
Lake Erie, to the end that Congress may be enabled to appro- 
priate the necessary sum for the construction of such a work. 

This resolution passed, but so little idea had the legislature 
of the sum requisite for such a survey, that they appropriated 
only $600 for the purpose. The committee appointed were, 
Thomas R. Gold, William W. Gilbert, Obadiah German, and 
James L. Hogeboom, on the part of the house, and John Tay- 
lor, John Nicholas, and Jonathan Ward, on the part of the 
senate. James Geddes, Esq., at that time a land surveyor, 
made the exploration and survey, under the direction of the 
surveyor general, and, in 1809, reported in favor of such a 
route. 

In 1810, on motion of Jonas Piatt, Esq., Governeur Morris, 
DeWitt Clinton, Stephen Van Rensselaer, Simeon DeWitt, 
William North, Thomas Eddy, and Peter B. Porter, were ap- 
pointed commissioners, to explore the whole route for inland 
navigation, from the Hudson river to Lake Ontario and Lake 
Erie. 

De Witt Clinton, at that time a member of the senate, was induced to lend a 
favorable ear to tins great project, by 'the representations of Mr. Piatt and Mr. 
Eddy, the latter of whom appears first to have advised this plan of action. 

The commissioners reported, in 1811, in favor of a canal, and 
estimated its cost at $5,000,000. They recommended that the 
construction' of it should be offered to the national government. 

The same year a bill was passed, giving power to the com- 



96 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

missioners, (to whom were added Robert Fulton and R. R. 
Livingston), to consider all matters relative to the inland navi- 
gation oi' the state; to make application to the general govern- 
ment, and to any of the states or territories, for aid or coopera- 
tion ; to ascertain on what terms loans could be obtained, and 
at what price the rights of the Western Inland Lock Naviga- 
tion Company could be purchased. 

The general government having declined to offer aid in the 
enterprise, and the adjacent states and territories affording only 
their good wishes, the commissioners in 1812, proposed that the 
state should construct the canal without foreign assistance ; and 
a bill was passed, directing them to procure loans and grants of 
land on the proposed route, but forbidding them to commence 
the canal. 

During the period from 1812 to 1815, the w T ar with Great 
Britain diverted all thoughts from this enterprise, to the more 
urgent one of defending their own firesides from ruthless inva- 
sion ; but, when peace returned, again this great undertaking 
engaged the hearts of community. The Holland Land Com- 
pany had granted to the commissioners n» re than 100,000 
acres of land ; and individuals some 7000 or 8000 more, towards 
the completion of the work. 

In 1815, those opposed to the canal were so far in the ma- 
jority, as to obtain the repeal of the act authorizing the com- 
missioners to borrow $5,000,000. 

This was, for the time, a virtual abandonment of the canal 
policy ; but, with the peace, the hopes and energies of its friends 
revived, and, in 1816, D. D. Tompkins, then governor, recom- 
mended the consideration of the enterprise to the legislature, 
while a host of petitions, ably drawn up, and numerously signed, 
were brought before that body, praying them to proceed in this 
great enterprise. Among the most forcible of these, was the 
petition from New York, drawn up by De Witt Clinton. 

The report of the canal commissioners was full of interest. They recommended 
the construction of the middle section first, as it would be a source of profit, and 
would divert the trade from the St. Lawrence. 

A bill was proposed to commence the canal immediately, but 
was modified in the senate, and finally passed, giving the com- 
missioners power to take the preliminary measures, such as 
causing a thorough survey and estimate of the expense of the 
route to be made, employing engineers, making further efforts 
to obtain aid, either from the general, or state governments, 
and arranging for loans and grants of land. 

In 1817, a bill was passed, authorizing the immediate con- 
struction of these works ; although in view of their magnitude, 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 97 

alternate emotions of hope and fear predominated in the minds 
of the legislature. There were some who opposed the passage 
of the bill. Under the new ac , Stephen Van Rensselaer, De- 
Witt Clinton, Samuel Young, Joseph Ellicott, and Myron 
Holley, were appointed commissioners. 

So much distrust in regard to the result of the enterprise was felt, by those 
living remote from the line of the canals, that they insisted on the introduction of 
a clause in the bill, levying a tax of $250,000, upon the lands contiguous to them. 
This, however, was never collected, as the means provided by the commis- 
sioners, proved amply sufficient, without resorting to direct taxation. 

The ground was first broken for the Erie canal, on the 4th 
of July, 1817, at Rome, with appropriate ceremonies. DeWitt 
Clinton, then governor of the state, was present, and took part 
in the services on this interesting occasion. 

In 1818, the governor congratulated the legislature on the progress of the en- 
terprise, and urged them to persevere in its prosecution. Laws were passed, 
during the session of this year, authorizing the construction of the Chittenango 
canal, and a navigable feeder to the Erie canal ; also, the examination of Buffalo 
creek, with a view to the construction of an artificial harbor on the western ter- 
minus of the canal. 

An act was likewise passed, improving the financial scheme 
of the previous year, and authorizing the commissioners to ob- 
tain a further loan of one million of dollars. 

In 1S19, measures were taken for the commencement of the 
Oswego canal. In October, of the same year, that portion of 
the Erie canal extending from Utica to Rome, was opened for 
navigation; and the Champlain canal admitted the passage of 
boats. From this period all open opposition to the enterprise 
ceased. 

In ]820, the property, right and title of the Western Inland 
Lock Navigation Company was transferred to the state, for the 
sum of $150,828. Messrs. Young, Holley, Seymour, and Bouck, 
were designated as acting canal commissioners, and received a 
salary for their services ; v\ hile the remainder of the commis- 
sioners received no salary, and retained only advisory powers. 

An act was passed in 1822, directing the construction of a 
navigable canal, to connect the Erie canal with the Onondaga 
lake and Seneca river. This, in connection with the act of 1819, 
completed the plan of what was afterwards known as the Os- 
wego canal. 

In July, 1823, the Erie canal was navigable from Schenectady to Rochester. 
The price of wheat, west of the Seneca river, in consequence of the facilities af- 
forded by the canal, had already advanced fifty per cent. 

In 1824, the Champlain canal was reported as finished. Acts 
were passed, authorizing further loans for the completion of the 
Erie canal ; for the constructionof a canal to connect Lake Cham- 



98 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

plain with the St. Lawrence, and for fixing the termini of the 
Erie canal, at Albany and Buffalo. 

Just at the close of the session, by a most ungenerous party manoeuvre, De 
Witt Clinton was removed from the office of canal commissioner. This was a 
short lived triumph, however, as in the succeeding autumn, he was elected gov- 
ernor, by a large majority, and of course became one of the canal commissioners, 
cz officio. 

In 1825, Governor Clinton congratulated the legislature on the prospect of the 
speedy completion of the Erie canal, and proposed the extension of the system of 
internal improvements, to render the Susquehanna, the Delaware, and other rivers 
in the state, navigable, thus affording facilities for bringing into market, the agri- 
cultural wealth of the state. 

The canal was completed in October, 1826, and on the 4th of 
November, the first canal boat from Lake Erie, having reached 
New York, the occasion was celebrated with rejoicings, such, 
perhaps, as have seldom been equaled in this or any other state 
of the union. 

The different trades and professions of the city, each with suitable badges and 
banners, joined in the long procession ; an immense squadron of ships, steamers, 
barques, &c, assembled in the bay, to witness the ceremony of the wedding of 
Lake Erie with the Atlantic ; and amid numerous ceremonies, and eloquent ora- 
tions, the glad shouts of the people went up, as with one voice. Medals were 
struck, commemorative of the interesting event, and forwarded to the soldiers 
and officers of the revolution, and to distinguished men, in our own, and other 
lands. 

The whole cost of the Erie and Champlain canals was 
$9,130,000; the canal debt, at their completion, was $7,738,000 ; 
and its interest $413,000. The income arising from tolls, the 
year after the completion of the canals, was estimated at $750,- 
000, exceeding, very considerably, the interest of the debt. In 
1835, the debt of the canal was extinguished, mainly from the 
tolls. 

The year 1826 was the commencement of the railroad policy 
in the state. In that year, Stephen Van Rensselaer and others 
received a charter for the construction of a railroad from Al- 
bany to Schenectady, with the right of enjoying the profits of 
the enterprise for fifty years. 

The state reserved to itself, however, the power of purchasing the road, by 
paying to the company the excess of the cost, with interest thereon, over the 
profits of the work. This feature has been incorporated in all railroad charters 
since granted. 

In 1S27, the legislature made an appropriation in aid of the 
Delaware and Hudson canal, and determined on the most fea- 
sible route for connecting the Erie canal and Susquehanna 
river. 

An act was passed in 1832, chartering a company, to con- 
struct a railroad to connect the Hudson with Lake Erie, run- 
ning through the lower tier of counties; and in 1836, a loan of 
the public credit to the amount of $3,000,000, was granted to 
the company. 



INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 99 

In 1833, an act was passed authorizing the construction of the 
Chenango canal, a work involving a large expenditure, but 
which, on its completion, opened a market to a large agricultural 
region. 

In 1835, it was found that the size of the Erie canal was inad- 
equate to the business transacted upon it; and that the locks 
were worn by use, and required enlarging, and to be made 
double, to facilitate transportation. The legislature, therefore, 
the same year, authorized the application of the surplus reve- 
nues, arising from the tolls, to be applied to the enlargement of 
the canal. 

In 1836, the legislature directed the construction of the Gene- 
see river and Black river canals, which were soon after com- 
menced. The financial distress in 1837-8, produced some delay 
and timidity in regard to internal improvements. But, in 1838, 
$4,000,000 were appropiated to the enlargement of the Erie 
canal, and the credit of the state loaned to the Catskill and Can- 
ajoharie, the Auburn and Syracuse, and the Ithaca and Owego 
railroad companies, to the amount of $ 8,000,000. The loan to 
the New York and Erie railroad company was modified at the 
same time. 

Since that period, several companies have constructed rail- 
roads, forming a continuous line between Albany ,and Buffalo, 
and the whole distance (about 400 miles) is run in less than 
twenty-four hours. 

The Black River Canal is as yet incomplete, and the Genesee 
Valley Canal is only finished as far as Dansville. The New 
York and Erie Railroad, after long delays, is now in progress 
of construction, and will be completed, probably, in two or three 
years. The Harlaem Railroad Js also rapidly progressing 
toward Albany. It is in contemplation to unite this with the 
Housatonic Railroad. 

Railroads have also been projected from New York to Albany 
along the Hudson liver ; from Ogdensburg to Plattsburg; from 
some point on the Harlaem Railroad to New Haven, Conn. ; 
and from Buffalo to Erie, Pennsylvania. 

In this connection, too, the Magnetic Telegraph should be 
mentioned. Telegraph lines have been constructed from Al- 
bany and Troy to Buffalo, and by way of the Housatonic Rail- 
road, to New York city, and others are projected. The facili- 
ties afforded for business transactions, by this instantaneous 
mode of transmitting intelligence, appear almost incredible. It 
is indeed one of the most wonderful discoveries of the present age. 



100 STATE OF NEW YOttK 



PURSUITS OF THE PEOPLE. 

In three of the four great departments of national industry, NeW 
York occupies the first rank. Lier fertile lands, under the skillful 
and scientific cultivation they haye received, render her preeminent 
in the culture of the soil ; her commerce is greater than that of any 
other state of the confederacy; her sails whiten every sea, and bring 
the productions of every clime to her marts ; in manufactures, she 
divides the palm with her sister states, Massachusetts and Pennsyl* 
.vania; in mining operations* though distinguished, she is inferior to 
Pennsylvania, and the new states of Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa. 

1. Agriculture. New York, though usually reckoned as one of 
the grain growing states, might, from the diversity of its surface, and 
the attention paid to the rearing of cattle, be ranked, with equal pro- 
priety, among the grazing states. Its mountainous districts afford 
rich and ample pasturage for the immense herds of cattle and sheep 
which dot its hills ; and the quantity, or quality j of its dairy products* 
are exceeded by no state of the union. 

Herkimer, Oneida, Orange, Delaware, Jefferson, Chenango, Chau* 
tauque, Onondaga. Madison, St. Lawrence, Otsego, Steuben, Dutch- 
ess, Erie, Tompkins. Washington, Ulster, Westchester, Oswego, 
Schoharie, Cayuga, Allegany, Cortland, Monroe, Wayne, Saratoga* 
Rensselaer and Putnam, are the most productive dairy counties. 

The most prolific grain counties are Monroe, Ontario, Livingston.* 
Niagara, Dutchess, Columbia, Orleans, Genesee, Cayuga, Onondaga, 
Wayne, Oneida, Seneca, Yates, Montgomery, Jefferson and Albany, 
In most of these counties, wheat is the principal grain ; in a few, oatd 
and corn are the chief crops. 

The state Agricultural Society, the county societies connected with 
it, and the numerous and ably conducted agricultural journals, have 
done much for the improvement of this department of national in* 
dustry, in the state. The most improved breeds of cattle, horses* 
sheep, and swine, have been imported ; every new implement of 
husbandry, which possesses real value, and every improvement irt 
farming, is readily adopted. 

Under the influence of this commendable zeal, much of that por* 
tion of the soil, which is naturally sterile, has been reclaimed ; the 
wilderness has become like a garden, and the desert been made to 
bud and blossom as the rose. 

2. Commerce. In commerce, New York not only stands fore* 
most among the American states, but she occupies a very high posi* 
tion among the commercial nations of the world. New York city, 
her principal seaport, is second only to London in commerce, and 
when her vast lake and internal commerce is added to this, it will be 
seen that she has but few rivals in this department. 

New York has an extensive trade with all the commercial states of 
Europe ; with Arabia, India, China, Japan, and the dependencies of 
each ; with the various ports on the coast of Africa and South Amer- 
ica; with New Holland, and the islands of the Pacific and Indian 
oceans ; with the West Indies, and the various ports of our own 
country. 

The internal commerce of the state is principally confined to the 
transportation of emigrants and their furniture ; the conveyance of 



PURSUITS OF THE PEOPLE. 101 

the vast amount of agricultural produce of this state, and the western 
states and territories, to tide water, and the return of goods for this 
produce. This commerce has increased, with a rapidity far beyond 
the expectations of the most sanguine* and is yearly increasing, at a 
ratio of at least ten per cent 

3. Manufactures. New York has not engaged so extensively 
in the manufacture of the fibrous fabrics, (cotton , woollen and silk 
goods), as Massachusetts, although the number of manufactories is 
great, and annually increasing. Yet, in the preparation of those arti- 
cles which first engage the attention of a new state, after its forests 
are, in a measure, cleared, and its people begin to provide for their 
own necessities, she stands foremost among the manufacturing states 
of the union. 

In the manufacture of flour, whether we regard the quantity or the 
quality, she has no equal in the world. The manufacture of lumber 
is also extensive, and for some years to come will undoubtedly in- 
crease. The tanning and manufacturing of leather is largely carried 
on, in some counties of the state. Salt is made in larger quantities 
than in any other portion of the union, and of superior quality. 

The production and manufacture of iron is becoming an important 
interest, yet here she must yield the palm to Pennsylvania. Her 
foundries are the largest in the United States. Distilled and malt 
liquors are still produced in very large quantities, amounting to 
more than five millions of dollars per annum; the amount of 
these, however, is rapidly decreasing. Brick and lime kilns are very 
numerous. The other more important manufactures of the state, are 
glass, soap, candles, paper, hats, caps and bonnets, machinery, hard- 
ware and cutlery, carriages, wagons and sleighs, furniture, &c. 

4. Mines The only mines of importance are those of iron and 
lead. The ores of iron are extensively diffused throughout the state. 
The magnetic oxide occurs in vast beds in the counties of Essex, 
Clinton, Warren, and Franklin, and in some portions of St. Law- 
rence. This is a valuable ore, and furnishes a vast proportion of the 
malleable iron used in the state. The specular oxide occurs princi- 
pally in St. Lawrence county, and is mainly used for castings. 

There are also, in Putnam and Orange counties, mines of magnetic 
oxide, and in several of the western counties, particularly those bor- 
dering on lake Ontario, are large beds of argillaceous ore, which is 
well adapted to castings. 

The principal lead mines are those of Rossie, St. Lawrence county, 
and Wurtzboro', Sullivan county, but from the abundance and cheap- 
ness of the western ore, they cannot successfully compete with it 
in market. Sulphurets of copper and zinc have also been discovered 
in considerable quantities, in St. Lawrence county, and other sec- 
tions, but have not been smelted to any extent. 

Marble, granite, sandstone, serpentine, gypsum, ochres, the 
limestone of which the hydraulic cement is made, and marl, are all 
found abundantly in the state, and applied to the purposes of the 
arts, of agriculture, and of architecture. The geological survey of 
the state has been of great service, in developing its mineral and 
agricultural resources. 

The statistics of the agriculture, commerce, manufactures, and 
mines of the state, are exhibited in Tables I., II., III. and IV., at the 
close of this work. 



102 STATE OF NEW YORK. 



GOVERNMENT OF NEW YORK. 

The Government of the state, like that of the United States, is di- 
vided into three departments, viz. the legislative, executive and ju- 
diciary. 

The legislative department consists of a Senate of 32 members, and 
a House of Assembly of 12S, the former elected for two years, the lat- 
ter for one. 

The executive consists of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, 
who are the chief executive officers, and are elected by the people 
for a term of two years ; and the Secretary of State, Comptroller, 
Treasurer, Attorney General, State Engineer and Surveyor, holding 
office for two years ; three Canal Commissioners, and three Inspec- 
tors of State Prisons, holding office for three years. The latter are 
called administrative officers. 

The judiciary comprises the Supreme Court, composed of at least 
32 judges, (four in each of the eight districts,) a Court of Appeals, 
composed of eight judges, and a County Judge for each of the coun- 
ties of the state, who also, (except by special enactment to the con- 
trary,) performs the duties of surrogate. There are also justices of the 
peace, and judges in other courts, not of record. These judges are 
all elected by the people. 

Provision was made by the legislature of the state, during the ses- 
sion of 1846, for holding a convention, to revise the constitution of 
the state ; and delegateshaving been elected by the people, met at 
Albany, about the first of June, 1846, and in October ensuing, reported 
a revised constitution, which was adopted by the people, at the elec- 
tion in November of the same year. 

The following is the constitution thus adopted. 

CONSTITUTION OF NEW YORK. 

Adopted November 3, 1846. 

We the people of the state of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our free- 
dom, in order to secure its blessings, do establish this Constitution. 

ARTICLE I. 

■Sec. 1. No member of this state shall be disfranchised, or deprived of any 
of the rights or privileges, secured to any citizens thereof, unless by the law of the 
land, or the judgment of his peers. 

Sec. 2. The trial by jury, in all cases in which it has been heretofore used, 
shall remain inviolate forever. But a jury trial may be waived by the parties in 
all civil cases, in the manner to be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 3. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, 
without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed in this state to all 
mankind ; and no person shall be rendered incompetent to be a witness on ac- 
count of his opinions on matters of religious belief; but the liberty of conscience 
hereby secured shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness, or 
justify practices inconsistent with the peace or safety of this state. 

Sec. 4. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, un- 
less when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require its 
suspension. 



CONSTITUTION. 103 

Sec. 5. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor 
shall cruel and unusual punishments be inflicted, nor shall witnesses be unreason- 
ably detained. 

Sec. 6. No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous 
crime, (except in cases of impeachment, and in cases of militia when in actual 
service ; and in the land and naval forces in time of war, or which this state may 
keep, with consent of Congress, in time of peace ; and in cases of petit larceny, 
under the regulation of the legislature,) unless on presentment or indictment of a 
grand jury, and in any trial, in any court whatever, the party accused shall be al- 
lowed to appear and defend hi person, and with council, as in civil actions. No 
person shall be subject to be twice put in jeopardy for the same offence ; nor 
shall he be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a witness against himself; nor 
be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ; nor shall 
private property be taken for public use without just compensation. 

Sec. 7. When private property shall be taken for any public use, the compen- 
sation to be made therefor, when such compensation is not made by the state, 
shall be ascertained by a jury, or by not less than three commissioners, appointed 
by a court of record, as shall be prescribed by law. Private roads may be opened 
in the manner to be prescribed by law ; but in every case, the necessity of the 
road, and the amount of all damage to be sustained by the opening thereof, shall 
be first determined by a jury of freeholders, and such amount, together with the 
expenses of the proceeding, shall be paid by the person to be benefited. 

Sec. 8. Every citizen may freely speak, write, and publish his sentiments on 
all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right ; and no law shall be passed 
to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech, or of the press. In all criminal prosecu- 
tions or indictments for libels, the truth may be given in evidence to the jury ; 
and if it shall appear to the jury that the matter charged as libellous is true, and 
was published with good motives, and for justifiable ends, the party shall be ac- 
quitted ; and the jury shall have the right to determine the law and the fact. 

Sec. 9. The assent of two-thuds of the members elected to each branch of the 
legislature, shall be requisite to every bdl appropriating the public moneys or 
property for local or private purposes. 

Sec. 10. No law shall be passed, abridging the right of the people to assemble, 
and to petition the government, or any department thereof; nor shall any divorce 
be granted, otherwise than by due judicial proceedings ; nor shall any lottery here- 
after be authorized, or any sale of lottery tickets allowed, within this state. 

Sec. 11. The people of this state, in their right of sovereignty, are deemed to 
possess the original and ultimate property in and to all lands within the jurisdic- 
tion of the state ; and all lands, the title to which shall fad, from a defect of heirs, 
shall revert, or escheat to the people. 

Sec. 12. All feudal tenures, of every description, with all their incidents, are 
declared to be abolished, saving, however, all rents and services certain, which 
at any time heretofore have been lawfully created or reserved. 

Sec. 13. All lands within this state are declared to be allodial, so that, subject 
only to the liability to escheat, the entire and absolute property is vested in the 
owners, according to the nature of their respective estates. 

Sec. 14. No lease or grant of agricultural land, for a longer period than twelve 
years, hereafter made, in which shall be reserved any rent or service of any kind, 
shall be valid. 

Sec. 15. All fines, quarter sales, or other like restraints upon alienation re- 
served in any grant of land, hereafter to be made, shall be void. 

Sec. 16. No purchase or contract for the sale of lands in this state, made 
since the fourteenth day of October, one thousand and seven hundred and seven- 
ty-five; or which may hereafter be made, of or with the Indians, shall be valid, 
unless made under the authority, and with the consent of the legislature. 

Sec. 17. Such parts of the common law, and of the acts of the legislature of 
the colony of New York, as together did form the law of the said colony, on the 
nineteenth day of April, one thousand, seven hundred and seventy-five, and the 
resolutions of the Coneress of the said colony, and of the convention of the state 



104 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

of New York, in force on the 20th day of April, one thousand, seven hundred 
and seventy-seven, which have not since expired, or been repealed or altered, 
and such acts of the legislature of this state as are now in force, shall be and con- 
tinue the law of this state, subject to such alterations as the legislature shall 
make concerning the same. But all such parts of the common law, and such of 
the said acts, or parts thereof as are repugnant to this Constitution, are hereby 
abrogated ; and the legislature, at its first session after the adoption of this Con- 
stitution, shall appoint three commissioners, whose duty it shall be to reduce into 
a written and systematic code, the whole body of the law of this state, or so 
much and such parts thereof as to the said commissioners shall seem practicable 
and expedient. And the said commissioners shall specify such alterations and 
amendments therein as they shall deem proper, and they shall at all times make 
report to the legislature, when called upon to do so ; and the legislature shall pass 
laws, regulating the tenure of office, the filling of vacancies therein, and the com- 
pensation of the said commissioners ; and shall also provide for the publication 
of the said code, prior to its being presented to the legislature for adoption. 

Sec. 18. All grants of land within this state, made by the King of Great Brit- 
ain, or persons acting under his authority, after the fourteenth day of October, 
one thousand, seven hundred and seventy-five, shall be null and void ; and nothing 
contained in this Constitution shall affect any grants of land within this state, made 
by the authority of the said King or his predecessors, or shall annul any charters to 
bodies politic and corporate, by him or them made, before that day ; or shall affect 
any such grants or charters since made by this state, or by persons acting under its 
authority, or shall impair the obligation of any debts contracted by this state, or 
individuals, or bodies corporate, or any other rights of property, or any suits, ac- 
tions, rights of action, or other proceedings in courts of justice. 

ARTICLE II. 

Sec. 1. Every male citizen of the age of twenty-one years, who shall have been 
a citizen for ten days, and an inhabitant of this state one year next preceding any 
election, and for the last four months a resident of the county where he may 
offer his vote, shall be entitled to vote at such election, in the election district of 
which he shall at the time be a resident, and not elsewhere, for all officers that 
now are or hereafter may be elective by the people ; but such citizen shall have 
been for thirty days next preceeding the election, a resident of the district from 
which the officer is to be chosen, for whom he offers his vote. But no man of 
color, unless he shall have been for three years a citizen of this state, and for one 
year next preceding any election shall have been seized and possessed of a free- 
hold estate of the value of two hundred and fifty dollars, over and above all debts 
and incumbrances charged thereon, and shall have been actually rated and paid 
a tax thereon, shall be entitled to vote at such election. And no person of color 
shall be subject to direct taxation unless he shall be seized and possessed of such 
real estate as aforesaid. 

Sec. 2. Laws may be passed, excluding from the right of suffrage, all persons 
who have been, or may be, convicted of bribery, of larceny, or of any infamous 
crime ; and for depriving every person who shall make, or become directly or in- 
directly interested in any bet or wager depending upon the result of any election, 
from the right to vote at such election. 

Sec. 3. For the purpose of voting, no person shall be deemed to have gained 
or lost a residence, by reason of his "presence or absence, while employed in the 
service of the United States ; nor while engaged in the navigation of the waters 
of this state, or of the United States, or of the high seas ; nor while a student of 
any seminary of learning ; nor while kept at any alms house, or other asylum, at 
public expense ; nor while confined in any public prison. 

Sec. 4. Laws shall be made for ascertaining, by proper proofs, the citizens 
who shall be entitled to the right of suffrage hereby established. 

Sec. 5. All elections by the citizens, shall be by ballot, except for such town 
officers as may by law be directed to be otherwise chosen. 



CONSTITUTION. 105 

ARTICLE III. 

Sec. 1. The legislative power of this state shall be vested in a Senate and 
Assembly. 

Sec. 2. The Senate shall consist of thirty-two members, and the senators shall 
be chosen for two years. The Assembly shall consist of one hundred and twen- 
ty-eight members, who shall be annually elected. 

Sec. 3. The state shall be divided into thirty-two districts, to be called senate 
districts, each of which shall choose one senator. The districts shall be num- 
bered from one to thirty-two inclusive. 

District number one shall consist of the counties of Suffolk, Richmond and 
Queens. 

District number two shall consist of the county of Kings. 

Districts number three, number four, number five, and number six, shall consist 
of the city and county of New York; and the board of supervisors of said city 
and county shall, on or before the first day of May, one thousand eight hun- 
dred and forty-seven, divide the said city and'county into the number of senate dis- 
tricts to which it is entitled, as near as may be of an equal number of inhabitants, 
excluding aliens and persons of color, not taxed, and consisting of convenient and 
of contiguous territory ; and no assembly district shall be divided in the forma- 
tion of a senate district. The board of supervisors, when they shall have com- 
pleted such division, shall cause certificates thereof, stating the number and 
boundaries of each district, and the population thereof, to be filed in the office of 
the Secretary of State, and of the clerk of said city and county. 

District number seven shall consist of the counties of Westchester, Putnam, 
and Rockland. 

District number eight shall consist of the counties of Dutchess and Co- 
lumbia. 

District number nine shall consist of the counties of Orange and Sullivan. 

District number ten shall consist of the counties of Ulster and Greene. 

District number eleven shall consist of the counties of Albany and Sche- 
nectady. 

District number twelve shall consist of the county of Rensselaer. 

District number thirteen shall consist of the counties of Washington and 
Saratoga. 

District number fourteen shall consist of the counties of Warren, Essex, and 
Clinton. 

District number fifteen shall consist, of the counties of St. Lawrence and 
Franklin. 

District number sixteen shall consist of the counties of Herkimer, Hamil- 
ton, Fulton, and Montgomery. 

District number seventeen shall consist of the counties of Schoharie and 
Delaware. 

District number eighteen shall consist of the counties of Otsego and*Che- 
nango. 

District number nineteen shall consist of the county of Oneida. 

District number twenty shall consist of the counties of Madison and Os- 
wego. 

District number twenty-one shall consist of the counties of Jefferson and 
Lewis. 

District number twenty-two shall consist of the county of Onondaga. 

District number twenty-three shall consist of the counties of Cortland, Broome, 
and Tioga. 

District number twenty-four shall consist of the counties of Cayuga and 
Wayne. 

District number twenty-five shall consist of the counties of Tompkins, Sen- 
eca, and Yates. 

District number twenty-six shall consist of the counties of Steuben and 
Chemung. 



106 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

District number twenty-seven shall consist of the county of Munroe. 

District number twenty-eight shall consist of the counties of Orleans, Genesee, 
and Niagara. 

District number twenty-nine shall consist of the counties of Ontario and 
Livingston. 

District number thirty shall consist of the counties of Allegany and Wyo- 
ming. 

District number thirty-one shall consist of the county of Erie. 

District number thirty-two shall consist of the counties of Chautauque and 
Cattaraugus. 

Sec. 4. An enumeration of the inhabitants of the state shall be taken, un- 
der the direction of the legislature, in the year one thousand, eight hundred and 
fifty-five, and at the end of every ten years thereafter ; and the said districts shall 
be so altered by the legislature, at the first session after the return of every enu- 
meration, that each senate district shall contain, as nearly as may be, an equal 
number of inhabitants, excluding aliens, and persons of color not taxed ; and shall 
remain unaltered until the return of another enumeration ; and shall at all times 
consist of contiguous territory ; and no county shall be divided in the formation 
of a senate district, except such county shall be equitably entitled to two or more 
Senators. 

Sec. 5. The members of Assembly shall be apportioned among the several 
counties of this state, by the legislature, as nearly as may be, according to the 
number of their respective inhabitants, excluding aliens, and persons of color not 
taxed, and shall be chosen by single districts. 

The several boards of supervisors, in such counties or this state, as are now 
entitled to more than one member of Asseblmy, shall assemble on the first Tues- 
day of January next, and divide their respective counties into assembly districts, 
equal to the number of members of Assembly to which such counties are now 
severally entitled by law, and shall cause to be filed in the offices of the Secretary 
or State, and the clerks of their respective counties, a description of such assem- 
bly districts, specifying the number of each district, and the population thereof, 
according to the last preceding state enumeration, as near as can be ascertained. 
Each assembly district shall contain, as nearly as may be, an equal number of in- 
habitants, excluding aliens, and persons of color not taxed, and shall consist of 
convenient and contiguous territory ; but no town shall be divided in the forma- 
tion of assembly districts. 

The legislature, at its first session, after the return of every enumeration, shall 
re-apportion the members of Assembly, among the several counties of this state, 
in manner aforesaid, and the boards of supervisors, in such counties as may be 
entitled, under such re-apportionment, to more than one member shall assemble, 
at such time as the legislature making such re-apportionment shall prescribe, and 
divide such counties into assembly districts, in the manner herein directed ; and 
the apportionment and districts, so to be made, shall remain unaltered, until an- 
other enumeration shall be taken, under the provisions of the preceding section. 

Every county, heretofore established and separately organized, except the 
county of Hamilton, shall always be entitled to one member of the Assembly, and 
no new county shall be hereafter erected, unless its population shall entitle it to 
a member. 

The county of Hamilton shall elect with the county of Fulton, until the popu- 
lation of the county of Hamilton shall, according to the ratio, be entitled to a 
member. 

Sec. 6. The members of the legislature shall receive, for their services, a sum 
not exceeding three dollars a day, from the commencement of the session ; but 
such pay shall not exceed, in the aggregate, three hundred dollars for per diem 
allowance, except in proceedings for impeachment. The limitation as to the ag- 
gregate compensation, shall not take effect until the year one thousand, eight 
hundred and forty-eight. When convened in extra session, by the Governor, 
they shall receive three dollars per day. They shall also receive the sum of one 
dollar for every ten miles they shall travel, in going to, and returning from, their 



CONSTITUTION. 107 

place of meeting, on the most usual route. The speaker of the Assembly shall, 
in virtue of his office, receive an additional coznpensation, equal to one-third of 
his per diem allowance as a member. 

Sec. 7. No member of the legislature shall receive any civil appointment 
within this state, or to the Senate of the United States, from the Governor, the 
Governor and Senate, or from the Legislature, during the term for which he shall 
have been elected ; and all such appointments, and all votes given for any such 
member, for any such office or appointment, shall be void. 

Sec. 8. No person, being a member of Congress, or holding any judicial or 
military office under the United States, shall hold a seat in the legislature. And 
if any person shall, after his election as a member of the legislature, be elected 
to Congress, or appointed to any office, civil or military, under the government 
of the United States, his acceptance thereof shall vacate his seat. 

Sec. 9. The elections of Senators and members of Assembly, pursuant to the 
provisions of this Constitution, shall be held on the Tuesday succeeding the first 
Monday of November, unless otherwise directed by the legislature. 

Sec. 10. A majority of each house shall constitute a quorum to do business. 
Each house shall determine the rules of its own proceedings, and be the judge 
of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members ; shall choose its 
own officers ; and the Senate shall choose a temporary president, when the Lieu- 
tenant Governor shall not attend as president, or shall act as Governor. 

Sec. 11. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish the 
same, except such parts as may require secrecy. The doors of each house shall 
be kept open, except when the public welfare shall require secrecy. Neither 
house shall, without the consent, of the other, adjourn for more than two days. 

Sec. 12. For any speech or debate, in either house of the legislature, the mem- 
bers shall not be questioned in any other place. 

Sec. 13. Any bill may originate in either house of the legislature, and all bills 
passed by one house, may be amended by the other. 

Sec. 14. The enacting clause of all bills shall be, "The people of the state of 
New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows," and no law 
shall be enacted except by bill. 

Sec. 15. No bill shall be passed, unless by the assent of a majority of all the 
members elected to each branch of the legislature, and the question upon the 
final passage, shall be taken immediately upon its last reading, and the yeas and 
nays entered on the journal. 

Sec. 16. No private or local bill, which may be passed by the legislature, shall 
embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title. 

Sec. 17. The legislature may confer upon the boards of supervisors, of the 
several counties of the state, such further powers of local legislation and admin- 
istration, as they shall from time to time prescribe. 

ARTICLE IV. 

Sec. 1. The executive power shall be vested in a Governor, who shall hold 
his office for two years ; a Lieutenant Governor shall be chosen at the same time, 
and for the same term. 

Sec. 2. No person, except a citizen of the United States, shall be eligible to 
the office of Governor ; nor shall any person be eligible to that office, who shall 
not have attained the age of thirty years, and who shall not have been five years 
next preceding his election, a resident within this state. 

Sec. 3. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected at the times 
and places of choosing members of the Assembly. The persons respectively 
having the highest number of votes for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, shall 
be elected ; but in case two, or more, shall have an equal, and the highest, num 
ber of votes for Governor, or for Lieutenant Governor, the two houses of the 
legislature, at its next annual session, shall, forthwith, by joint ballot, choose one 
of the said persons, so having an equal and the highest number of voles for Gov- 
ernor, or Lieutenant Governor. 

Sec. 4. The Governor shall b« commander-in-chief of Ibe military and naval 



10S STATE OF NEW YORK. 

forces of the stale. He shall have power to convene the legislature, (or the Sen- 
ate only,) on extraordinary occasions. He shall communicate, by message, to the 
legislature, at every session, the condition of the state, and recommend such mat- 
ters to them, as he shall judge expedient. He shall transact all necessary busi- 
ness with the officers of government, civil and military. He shall expedite all 
such measures, as may be resolved upon by the legislature, and shall take care 
that the laws are faithfully executed. He shall, at stated times, receive for his 
services, a compensation to be established by law, which shall neither be increas- 
ed nor diminished, after his election, and during his continuance in office. 

Sec. 5. The Governor shall have the power to grant reprieves, commutations 
and pardons, after conviction, for all offences, except treason and cases of impeach- 
ment, upon such conditions, and with such restrictions and limitations, as he may 
think proper, subject to such regulations as may be provided by law, relative to the 
manner of applying for pardons. Upon conviction for treason, he shall have 
power to suspend the execution of the sentence, until the case shall be reported 
to the legislature, at its next meeting, when the legislature shall either pardon, or 
commute the sentence, direct the execution of the sentence, or grant a further 
reprieve. He shall annually communicate to the legislature, each case of re- 
prieve, commutation, or pardon, granted ; stating the name of the convict, the 
crime of which he was convicted, the sentence, and its date, and the date of the 
commutation, pardon, or reprieve. 

Sec. 6. In case of the impeachment of the Governor, or his removal from of- 
fice, death, inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, resigna- 
tion, or absence from the sta*e, the powers and duties of the office shall devolve 
upon the Lieutenant Governor, for the residue of the term, or until the disability 
shall cease. But when the Governor shall, with the consent of the legislature, 
be out of the state, in time of war, at the head of the military force thereof, he 
shall continue commander-in-chief of all the military force of the state. 

Sec. 7. The Lieutenant Governor shall possess the same qualifications of eli- 
gibility for office as the Governor. He shall be President of the Senate, but shall 
only have a casting vote therein. If, during a vacancy of the office of Governor, 
the Lieutenant Governor shall be impeached, displaced, resign, die, or become in- 
capable of performing the duties of his office, or be absent from the state, the 
President of the Senate shall act as Governor, until the vacancy be filled, or the 
disability shall cease. 

Sec. 8. The Lieutenant Governor shall, while acting as such, receive a com- 
pensation, to be fixed by law, and which shall not be increased or diminished, 
during his continuance in office. 

Sec. 9. Every bill which shall have passed the Senate and Assembly, shall, be- 
fore it becomes a law, be presented to the Governor ; if he approve, he shall sign 
it ; but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall 
have originated ; who shall enter the objections, at large, upon their journal, and 
proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of the mem- 
bers present shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objec- 
tions, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be re-considered ; and if ap- 
proved by two-thirds of all the members present, it shall become a law, notwith- 
standing the objections of the Governor. But in all such cases, the votes of both 
houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the members, 
voting for and against the bill, shall be entered on the journal of each house respec- 
tively. If any bill shall not be returned by the Governor, within ten days, (Sun- 
days excepted,) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, 
in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the legislature shall, by their adjourn- 
ment, prevent its return ; in which case it shall not be a law. 

ARTICLE V. 

Sec. 1. The Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, and Attorney General, 
shall be chosen at a general election, and shall hold their offices for two years. 
Each of the officers in this Article named, (except the Speaker of the Assembly.) 
shall, at stated times a during his continuance in office, receive for his services, a 



CONSTITUTION. 109 

compensation, which shall not be increased or diminished, during the term for 
which he shall have been elected ; nor shall he receive, to his use, any fees or 
perquisites of office, or other compensation. 

Sec. 2. A State Engineer and Surveyor shall be chosen at a general election, 
and shall hold his office two years, but no person shall be elected to said office 
who is not a practical engineer. 

Sec. 3. Three Canal Commissioners shall be chosen at the general election, 
which shall be held next after the adoption of this Constitution, one of whom 
shall hold his office for one year, one for two years, and one for three years. The 
Commissioners of the canal fund shall meet at the Capitol, on the first Monday of 
January, next after such election, and determine by lot, which of said Commis- 
sioners shall hold his office for one year, which for two, and which for three 
years : and there shall be elected annually, thereafter, one Canal Commissioner, 
who shall hold his office for three years. 

Sec. 4. Three Inspectors of State Prisons, shall be elected at the general elec- 
tion, which shall be held next after the adoption of this Constitution, one of whom 
shall hold his office for one year, one for two years, and one for three years. 
The Governor, Secretary of State, and Comptroller, shall meet at the Capitol, on 
the first Monday of January, next succeeding such election, and determine by lot, 
which of said Inspectors shall hold his office for one year, which for two, and 
which for three years ; and there shall be elected annually, thereafter, one Inspec- 
tor of State Prisons, who shall hold his office for three years ; said Inspectors shall 
have the charge and superintendence of the State Prisons, and shall appoint all 
the officers therein. All vacancies in the office of such Inspector, shall be filled 
by the Governor, till the next election. 

Sec. 5. The Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, Secretary of 
State, Comptroller, Treasurer, Attorney General, and State Engineer and Surveyor, 
shall be the Commissioners of the Land Office. 

The Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, and At- 
torney General, shall be the Commissioners of the canal fund. 

The Canal Board shall consist of the Commissioners of the canal fund, the 
State Engineer and Surveyor, and the Canal Commissioners. 

Sec. 6. The powers and duties of the respective boards, and of the several 
officers in this Article mentioned, shall be such as now are or hereafter may be 
prescribed by law. 

Sec. 7. The Treasurer may be suspended from office by the Governor, during 
the recess of the Legislature, and until thirty days after the commencement of 
the next session of the Legislature, whenever it shall appear to him that such 
Treasurer has, in any particular, violated his duty. The Governor shall appoint 
a competent person to discharge the duties of the office, during such suspension 
of the Treasurer. 

Sec. 8. All offices for the weighing, guaging, measuring, culling or inspecting 
any merchandize, produce, manufacture or commodity, whatever, are hereby 
abolished, and no such office shall hereafter be created by law ; but nothing in 
this section contained, shall abrogate any office created for the purpose of pro- 
tecting the public health or the interests of the State in its property, revenue, 
tolls, or purchases, or of supplying the people with correct standards of weights 
and measures, or shall prevent the creation of any office for such purposes here- 
after. 

ARTICLE VI. 

Sec. 1. The Assembly shall have the power of impeachment, by the vote of 
the majority of all the members elected. The court for the trial of impeach- 
ments, shah be composed of the President of the Senate, the Senators, or a major 
part of them, and the judges of the court of appeals, or the major part of them. 
On the trial of an impeachment against the Governor, the Lieutenant-Governor 
shall not act as a member of the court. No judicial officer shall exercise his 
office after he shall have been impeached, until he shall have been acquitted. 
Before the trial of an impeachment, the members of the court shall take an oath 

6 



110 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

or affirmation, truly and impartially to try the impeachment, according to evi- 
dence ; and no person shall be convicted, without the concurrence of two-thirds 
of the members present. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend 
further than to removal from office, or removal from office and disqualification 
to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under this State ; but the 
party impeached shall be liable to indictment, and punishment according to law. 

Sec. 2. There shall be a Court of Appeals, composed of eight judges, of whom 
four shall be elected by the electors of the State for eight years, and four selected 
from the class of Justices of the Supreme Court having the shortest time to serve. 
Provision shall be made by law, for designating one of the number elected, as 
chief judge, and for selecting such Justices of the Supreme Court, from time to 
time, and for so classifying those elected, that one shall be elected every second 
year. 

Sec. 3. There shall be a Supreme Court having general jurisdiction in law 
and equity. 

Sec. 4. The State shall be divided into eight judicial districts, of which the 
city of New York shall be one ; the others to be bounded by county lines and to 
be compact and equal in population as nearly as may be. There shall be four 
Justices of the Supreme Court in each district, and as many more in the district 
composed of the city of New York, as may from time to time be authorized by 
law, but not to exceed in the whole such number in proportion to its population, 
as shall be in conformity with the number of such judges in the residue of the state 
in proportion to its population. They shall be classified so that one of the justices 
of each district shall go out of office at the end of every two years. After the ex- 
piration of their terms under such classification, the term of their office shall be 
eight years. 

Sec. 5. The Legislature shall have the same powers to alter and regulate the 
jurisdiction and proceedings in law and equity, as they have heretofore possessed. 

Sec. 6. Provision may be made by law for designating from time to time, one or 
more of the said justices, who is not a judge of the court of appeals, to preside at 
the general terms of the said court to be held in the several districts. Any three 
or more of the said justices, of whom one of the said justices so designated, shall 
always be one, may hold such generai terms. And any one or more of the justices 
may hold special terms and circuit courts, and any one of them may preside in 
courts of oyer and terminer in any county. 

Sec. 7. The judges of the court of appeals and justices of the supreme court 
shall severally receive at stated times for their services, a compensation to be 
established by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during their con- 
tinuance in office. 

Sec. 8. They shall not hold any other office or public trust. All votes for 
either of them, for any elective office (except that of justice of the supreme court, 
or judge of the court of appeals,) given by the Legislature or the people, shall be 
void. They shall not exercise any power of appointment to public office. Any 
male citizen of the age of twenty-one years, of good moral character, and who 
possesses the requisite qualifications of learning and ability, shall be entitled to ad- 
mission to practice in all the courts of this state. 

Sec. 9. The classification of the justices of the supreme court ; the times and 
place of holding the terms of the court of appeals, and of the general and special 
terms of the supreme court within the several districts, and the circuit courts and 
courts of oyer and terminer within the several counties, shall be provided for by 
law. 

Sec. 10. The testimony in equity cases shall be taken in like manner as in 
cases at law. 

Sec. 11. Justices of the supreme court and judges of the court of appeals, 
may be removed by concurrent resolution of both Houses of the Legislature, if 
two-thirds of all the members elected to the Assembly, and a majority of all the 
members elected to the Senate, concur therein. All judicial officers, except those 
mentioned ia this section, and except justices of the peace, and judges and jus- 



CONSTITUTION. ill 

Sices of inferior courts not of record may be removed by the Senate on the recom- 
mendation of the Governor ; but no removal shall be made by virtue of this sec- 
tion, unless the cause thereof be entered on the journals, nor unless the pany 
complained of, shall have been served with a copy of the complaint against him, 
and shall have had an opportunity of being heard in his defence. On the ques- 
tion of removal, the aye3 and noes shall be entered on the journals. 

Sec. 12. The judges of the court of appeals shall be elected by the electors of 
the state, and the justices of the supreme court by the electors of the several judi- 
cial districts, at such times as may be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 13. In case the office of any judge of the court of appeals, or justice of 
the supreme court, shall become vacant before the expiration of the regular term 
for which he was elected, the vacancy may be filled by appointment by the Gov- 
ernor, until it shall be supplied at the next general election of judges, when it shall 
be filled by election for the residue of the unexpired term. 

Sec. 14. There shall be elected in each of the counties of this state, except 
the city and county of New York, one county judge, who shall hold his office for 
four years. He shall hold the county court, and perform the duties of the office 
of surrogate. The county court shall have such jurisdiction in cases arising in 
justices courts, and in special cases, as the Legislature may prescribe ; but shall 
have no original civil jurisdiction, except in such special cases. 

The county judge, with f wo justices of the peace to be designated according to 
law, may hold courts of sessions, with such criminal jurisdiction as the Legisla- 
ture shall prescribe, and perform such other duties as may be required by law. 

The county judge shall receive an annual salary, to be fixed by the board of 
supervisors, which shall be neither increased nor diminished during his continu- 
ance in office. The justices of the peace, for services in courts of sessions, shall 
be paid a per diem allowance out of the county treasury. 

In counties having a population exceeding forty thousand, the Legislature may 
provide for the election of a separate officer to perform the duties of the office of 
surrogate. 

The legislature may confer equity jurisdiction, in special cases, upon the county 
judge. 

Inferior local courts, of civil and criminal jurisdiction, may be established by 
the Legislature in cities ; and such courts, except for the cities of New York and 
Buffalo, shall have an uniform organization and jurisdiction in such cities. 

Sec. 15. The Legislature may, on application of the board of supervisors, pro- 
vide for the election of local officers, not to exceed two in any county, to dis- 
charge the duties of county judge and of surrogate, in cases of their inability, or of 
a vacancy, and to exercise such other powers, in special cases, as may be provided 
by law. 

Sec. 16. The Legislature may reorganize the judicial districts at the first session 
after the return of every enumeration under this Constitution, in the manner pro- 
vided for in the fourth section of this article and at no other time ; and they 
may, at such session, increase or diminish the number of districts, but such in- 
crease or diminution shall not be more than one district at any one time. Each 
district shall have four justices of the Supreme Court ; but no diminution of the 
districts shall have the effect to remove a judge from office. 

Sec. 17. The electors of the several towns, shall, at their annual town meet- 
ing, and in such manner as the Legislature may direct, elect justices of the peace, 
whose term of office shall be four years. In case of an election to fill a vacancy 
occurring before the expiration of a full term, they shall hold for the residue of the 
unexpired term. Their number and classification may be regulated by law. Jus- 
tices of the peace, and judges or justices of inferior courts not of record, and their 
clerks, may be removed after due notice and an opportunity of being heard in 
their defence by such county, city or state courts, as may be prescribed by law, 
for causes to be assigned in the order of removal. 

See, 18. All judicial officers of cities and villages, and all such judicial offi- 
cers as may be created therein by law, shall be elected at such times and in such 
manner as the Legislature may direct, 



112 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Sec. 19. Clerks of the several counties of this state shall be clerks of the Su- 
preme Court, with such powers and duties as shall be prescribed by law. A clerk 
for the Court of Appeals, to be ex officio clerk of the Supreme Court, and to keep 
his office at the seat of government, shall be chosen by the electors of the State ; 
he shall hold his office for three years, and his compensation shall be fixed by law 
and paid out of the public Treasury. 

Sec. 20. No judicial officer, except justices of the peace, shall receive to his 
own use, any fees or perquisites of office. 

Sec. 21. The Legislature may authorize the judgments, decrees and decisions 
of any local inferior court of record of original civil jurisdiction, established in a 
city, to be removed for review directly into the Court of Appeals. 

Sec. 22. The Legislature shall provide for the speedy publication of all statute 
laws, and of such judicial decisions as it may deem expedient. And all laws and 
judicial decisions shall be free for publication by any person. 

-Sec. 23. Tribunals of conciliation may be established, with such powers and 
duties as may be prescribed by law, but such tribunals shall have no power to 
render judgment to be obligatory on the parties, except they voluntarily submit 
their matters in difference and agree to abide the judgment, or assent thereto, in 
the presence of such tribunal, in such cases as shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 24. The Legislature at its first session after the adoption of this Consti- 
tution, shall provide for the appointment of three commissioners, whose duty it 
shall be to revise, reform, simplify and abridge the rules and practice, pleadings, 
forms and proceedings of the courts of record of this state, and to report thereon 
to the Legislature, subject to their adoption and modification from time to time. 

Sec. 25. The Legislature, at its first session after the adoption of this Consti- 
tution, shall provide for the organization of the Court of Appeals, and for trans- 
ferring Io it the business pending in the Court for the Correction of Errors, and for 
the allowance of writs of error and appeals to the Court of Appeals, from the judg- 
ments and decrees of the present Court of Chancery and Supreme Court, and of 
the courts that may be organized under this Constitution. 

ARTICLE VIT. 

Sec. 1. After paying the expenses of collection, superintendence and ordinary 
repairs, there shall be appropriated and set apart in each fiscal year, out of the 
revenues of the state canals, commencing on the first day of June, one thousand 
eight hundred and forty-six. the sum of one million and three hundred thousand 
dollars, until the first day of June, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, and 
from that time, the sum of one million and seven hundred thousand dollars in each 
fiscal year, as a sinking fund, to pay the interest and redeem the principal of that 
part of the state debt called the canal debt, as it existed at the time first aforesaid, 
and including three hundred thousand dollars then to be borrowed, until the same 
shall be wholly paid ; and the principal and income of the said sinking fund shall 
be sacredly applied to that purpose. 

Sec. 2. After complying with the provisions of the first section of this article, 
there shall be appropriated and set apart out of the surplus revenues of the state 
canals, in each fiscal year, commencing on the first day of June, one thousand 
eight hundred and forty-six, the sum of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 
until the time when a sufficient sum shall have been appropriated and set apart, 
under the said first section, to pay the interest and extinguish the entire principal 
of the canal debt ; and after that period, then the sum of one million and five hun- 
dred thousand dollars in each fiscal year, as a sinking fund, to pay the interest and 
redeem the principal of that part of the state debt called the General Fund debt, 
including the debt for loans of the state credit to railroad companies which have 
failed to pay the interest thereon, and also the contingent debt on state stocks 
loaned to incorporated companies which have hitherto paid the interest thereon, 
whenever and as far as any part thereof may become a charge on the Treasury 
or General Fund, until the same shall be wholly paid ; and the principal and in- 
come of the said last mentioned sinking fund shall be sacredly applied to the pur- 
pose aforesaid ; and if the payment of any part of the moneys to the said sinking 



CONSTITUTION. 113 

fund shall at any time be deferred, by reason of the priority recognized in the first 
section of this article, the sum so deferred, with quarterly interest thereon, at the 
then current rate, shall be paid to the last mentioned sinking fund, as soon as it 
can be done consistently with the just rights of the creditors holding said canal 
debt. 

Sec. 3. After paying the said expenses of superintendence and repairs of the 
canals, and the sums appropriated by the first and second sections of this article, 
there shall be paid out of the surplus revenues of the canals, to the Treasury of 
the State, on or before the thirtieth day of September, in each year, for the use 
and benefit of the General Fund, such sum, not exceeding two hundred thousand 
dollars, as may be required to defray the necessary expenses of the state ; and the 
remainder of the revenues of the said canals shall, in each fiscal year, be applied, 
in such manner as the Legislature shall direct, to the completion of the Erie Ca- 
nal enlargement, and the Genesee Valley and Black River canals, until the said 
canals shall be completed. 

If at any time after the period of eight years from the adoption of this Consti- 
tution, the revenues of the state, unappropriated by this article, shall not be suffi- 
cient to defray the necessary expenses of the government, without continuing or 
laying a direct tax, the Legislature may, at its discretion, supply the deficiency, in 
whole or in part, from the surplus revenues of the canals, after complying with 
the provisions of the first two sections of this article, for paying the interest and 
extinguishing the principal of the Canal and General Fund debt ; but the sum thus 
appropriated from the surplus revenues of the canals shall not exceed annually 
three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, including the sum of two hundred thou- 
sand dollars, provided for by this section for the expenses of the government, until 
the General Fund debt shall be extinguished, or until the Erie Canal Enlargement 
and Genesee Valley and Black River Canals shall be completed, and after that 
debt shall be paid, or the said canals shall be completed, then the sum of six hun- 
dred and seventy-two thousand five hundred dollars, or so much thereof as shall 
be necessary, may be annually appropriated to defray the expenses of the govern- 
ment. 

Sec. 4. The claims of the state against any incorporated company to pay the 
interest and redeem the principal of the stock of the state, loaned or advanced to 
such company, shall be fairly enforced, and not released or compromised ; and the 
moneys arising from such claims shall be set apart and applied as part of the 
sinking fund provided in the second section of this article. But the time limited 
for the fulfillment of any condition of any release or compromise heretofore made 
or provided for, may be extended by law. 

Sec. 5. If the sinking funds, or either of them, provided in this article, shall 
prove insufficient to enable the state, on the credit of such fund, to procure the 
means to satisfy the claims of the creditors of the state, as they become payable, 
the Legislature shall, by equitable taxes, so increase the revenues of the said funds 
as to make them, respectively, sufficient perfectly to preserve the public faith. 
Every contribution or advance to the canals, or their debt, from any source, other 
than their direct revenues, shall, with quarterly interest, at the rates then cur- 
rent, be repaid into the Treasury, for the use of the state, out of the canal reve- 
nues, as soon as it can be done consistently with the just rights of the creditors 
holding the said canal debt. 

Sec. 6. The Legislature shall not sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of any of the 
canals of the state ; but they shall remain the property of the state and under its 
management, forever. 

Sec. 7. The Legislature shall never sell or dispose of the salt springs, belong- 
ing to this state. The lands contiguous thereto and which may be necessary and 
convenient for the use of the salt springs, may be sold by authority of law, and 
under the direction of the commissioners of the land office, for the purpose of in- 
vesting the moneys arising therefrom in other lands alike convenient ; but by 
such sale and purchase the aggregate quantity of these lands shall not be dimin- 
ished, 



114 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Sec. 8. No moneys shall ever be paid out of the treasury of this state, or any 
of its funds, or any of the funds under its management, except in pursuance of an 
appropriation by law ; nor unless such payment be made within two years next 
after the passage of such appropriation act ; and every such law, making a new 
appropriation, or continuing or reviving an appropriation, shall distinctly specify 
the sum appropriated, and the object to which it is to be applied ; and it shall not 
be sufficient for such law to refer to any other law to fix such sum. 

Sec. 9. The credit of the state shall not, in any manner, be given or loaned to, 
or in aid of any individual, association or corporation. 

Sec. 10. The state may, to meet casual deficits or failures in revenues, or for 
expenses not provided for, contract debts, but such debts, direct and contingent, 
singly or in the aggregate, shall not at any time, exceed one million of dollars ; and 
the moneys arising from the loans creating such debts, shall be applied to the pur- 
pose for which they were obtained, or to repay the debt so contracted, and to no 
other purpose whatever. 

Sec. 11. In addition to the above limited power to contract debts, the state 
may contract debts to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or defend the state in 
war ; but the money arising from the contracting of such debts shall be applied 
to the purpose for which it was raised, or to repay such debts, and to no other 
purpose whatever. 

Sec. 12. Except the debts specified in the tenth and eleventh sections of this 
article, no debt shall be hereafter contracted by or on behalf of this state, unless 
such debt shall be authorized by a law, for some single work or object, to be dis- 
tinctly specified therein ; and such law shall impose and provide for the collection 
of a direct annual tax to pay, and sufficient to pay the interest on such debt as it 
falls due, and also to pay and discharge the principal of such debt within eighteen 
years from the time of the contracting thereof. 

No such law shall take effect until it shall, at a general election, have been sub- 
mitted to the people, and have received a majority of all the votes cast for and 
against it, at such election. 

On the final passage of such bill in either house of the Legislature, the question 
shall be taken by ayes and noes, to be duly entered on the journals thereof, and 
shall be : " Shall this bill pass, and ought the same to receive the sanction of the 
people ?" 

The Legislature may at any time, after the approval of such law by the people, 
if no debt shall have been contracted in pursuance thereof, repeal the same ; and 
may at any time, by law, forbid the contracting of any further debt or liability 
under such law ; but the tax imposed by such act, in proportion to the debt and 
liability which may have been contracted, in pursuance of such law, shall remain 
in force and be irrepealable, and be annually collected, until the proceeds thereof 
shall have made the provision herein before specified to pay and discharge the in- 
terest and principal of such debt and liability. 

The money arising from any loan or stock creating such debt or liability, shall 
be applied to the work or object specified in the act authorizing such debt or lia- 
bility, or for the repayment of such debt or liability, and for no other purpose 
whatever. 

No such law shall be submitted to be voted on, within three months after its 
passage, or at any general election, when any other law, or any bill, or any amend- 
ment to the Constitution shall be submitted to be voted for or against. 

Sec. 13. Every law which imposes, continues or revives a tax, shall distinctly 
state the tax and the object to which it is to be applied ; and it shall not be suffi- 
cient to refer to any other law to fix such tax or object. 

Sec. 14. On the final passage, in either house of the Legislature, of every act 
which imposes, continues, or revives a tax, or creates a debt or charge, or makes, 
continues or revives any appropriation of public or trust-money or property, or re- 
leases, discharges, or commutes any claim or demand of the state, the question 
shall be taken by ayes and noes, which shall be duly entered on the journals, and 
three-fifths of all the members elected to either house, shall, in all such cases, be 
necessary to constitute a quorum therein. 



CONSTITUTION. 115 

ARTICLK VIII. 

Sec. 1. Corporations may be formed under general laws; but shall not bo 
created by special act, except for municipal purposes, and in cases where in the 
judgment of the Legislature, the objects of the corporation cannot be attained un- 
der general laws. All general laws and special acts passed pursuant to this sec- 
tion, may be altered from time to time, or repealed. 

Sec. 2. Dues from corporations shall be secured by such individual liability of 
the corporators, and other means, as may be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 3. The term corporations, as used in this article, shall be construed to in- 
clude all associations and joint-stock companies having any of the powers or 
privileges of corporations not possessed by individuals or partnerships. And all 
corporations shall have the right to sue, and shall be subject to be sued, in all courts 
in like cases as natural persons. 

Sec. 4. The Legislature, shall have no power to pass any act granting any 
special charter for banking purposes ; but corporations or associations may be 
formed for such purposes under general laws. 

Sec. 5. The Legislature shall have no power to pass any law sanctioning in 
any manner, directly or indirectly, the suspension of specie payments, by any per- 
son, association or corporation issuing bank notes of any description. 

Sec. 6. The Legislature shall provide by law for the registry of all bills or 
notes, issued or put in circulation as money, and shall require ample security for 
the redemption of the same in specie. 

Sec. 7. The stockholders in every corporation and joint-stock association for 
banking purposes, issuing bank notes or any kind of paper credits to circulate as 
money, after the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and fifty, shall 
be individually responsible to the amount of *heir respective share or shares of 
stock in any such corporation or association, for all its debts and liabilities of every 
kind, contracted after the said first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and 
fifty. 

Sec. 8. In case of the insolvency of any bank or banking association, the bill- 
holders thereof shall be entitled to preference in payment, over all other creditors 
of such bank or association. 

Sec. 9. It shall be the duty of the Legislature to provide for the organization 
of cities and incorporated villages, and to restrict their power of taxation, assess- 
ment, borrowing money, contracting debts and loaning their credit, so as to pre- 
vent abuses in assessments, and in contracting debts by such municipal corpora- 
tions. 

ARTICLE IX. 

Sec. 1. The capital of the Common School Fund ; the capital of the Literature 
Fund, and the capital of the United States Deposit Fund, shall be respectively pre- 
served inviolate. The revenue of the said Common School Fund shall be applied 
to the support of common schools ; the revenues of the said Literature Fund shall 
be applied to the support of academies, and the sum of twenty-five thousand dol- 
lars of the revenues of the United States Deposit Fund shall each year be appro- 
priated to and made a part of the capital of the said Common School Fund. 
ARTICLE x. 

Sec. 1. Sheriffs, clerks of counties, including the register and clerk of the city 
and county of New York, coroners, and district attorneys, shall be chosen, by the 
electors of the respective counties, once in every three years, and as often as vacan- 
cies shall happen. Sheriffs shall hold no other office, and be ineligible for the next 
three years after the termination of their offices. They may be required by law, 
to renew their security, from time to time ; and in default of giving such new 
security, their offices shall be deemed vacant. But the county shall never be made 
responsible for the acts of the sheriff. 

The Governor may remove any officer, in this section mentioned, within the 
term for which he shall have been elected ; giving to such officer a copy of the 
charges against him, and an opportunity of being heard in his defence. 



116 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Sec. 2. All county officers whose election or appointment is not provided for, 
by this Constitution, shall be elected by the electors of the respective counties, or 
appointed by the boards of supervisors, or othe*: county authorities, as the Legisla- 
ture shall direct. All city, town and village officers, whose election or appoint- 
ment is not provided for by this Constitution, shall be elected by the electors, of 
such cities, towns and villages, or of some division thereof, or appointed by such 
authorities thereof, as the Legislature shall designate for that purpose. All other 
officers whose election or appointment is not provided for by this Constitution, and 
all officers whose offices may hereafter be created by law, shall be elected by the 
people, or appointed, as the Legislature may direct. 

Sec. 3. When the duration of any office, is not provided by this Constitution, it 
may be declared by law, and if not so declared, such office shall be held, during the 
pleasure of the authority making the appointment. 

Sec. 4. The time of electing all officers named in this article shall be prescribed 
by law. 

Sec. 5. The Legislature shall provide for filling vacancies in office, and in case 
of elective officers, no person appointed to fill a vacancy shall hold his office by 
virtue of such appointment longer than the commencement of the political year 
next succeeding the first annual election after the happening of the vacancy. 

Sec. 6. The political year and legislative term, shall begin on the first day of 
January ; and the Legislature shall every year assemble on the first Tuesday in 
January, unless a different day shall be appointed by law. 

Sec. 7. Provision shall be made by law for the removal, for misconduct or mal- 
versation in office, of all officers (except judicial) whose powers and duties are not 
local or legislative, and who shall be elected at general elections, and also for sup- 
plying vacancies created by such removal. 

Sec. 8. The Legislature may declare the cases in which any office shall be 
deemed vacant, where no provision is made for that purpose in this Constitution. 

ARTICLE XI. 

Sec. 1. The militia of this state, shall at all times hereafter, be armed and dis- 
ciplined, and in readiness for service ; but all such inhabitants of this state, of any 
religious denomination whatever, as from scruples of conscience may be averse to 
bearing arms, shall be excused therefrom, upon such conditions as shall be pre- 
scribed by law. 

Sec. 2. Militia officers shall be chosen, or appointed, as follows : — captains, 
subalterns and non-commissioned officers shall chosen by the written votes of the 
members of their respective companies. Field officers of regiments and separate 
battalions, by the written votes of the commissioned officers of the respective regi- 
ments and separate battalions ; brigadier generals and brigade inspectors, by the 
field officers of their respective brigades ; major generals, brigadier generals and 
commanding officers of regiments or separate battalions, shall appoint the staff 
officers to their respective divisions, brigades, regiments or separate battalions. 

Sec. 3. The Governor shall nominate, and with the consent of the Senate, 
appoint all major generals, and the commissary general. The adjutant general and 
other chiefs of staff departments, and the aids-de-camp of the commander-in-chief 
shall be appointed by the Governor, and their commissions shall expire with the 
time for which the Governor shall have been elected. The commissary general 
shall hold his office for two years. He shall give security for the faithful execu- 
tion of the duties of his office, in such manner and amount as shall be prescribed 
by law. 

Sec. 4. The Legislature shall, by law, direct the time and manner of electing 
militia officers, and of certifying their elections to the Governor. 

See. 5. The commissioned officers of the militia shall be commissioned by the 
Governor ; and no commissioned officer shall be removed from office, unless by 
the Senate on the recommendation of the Governor, stating the grounds on which 
such removal is recommended, or by the decision of a court martial, pursuant to 
law. The present officers of the militia shall hold their commissions subject to 
removal, as before provided. 



CONSTITUTION. 117 

Sec. 6. In case the mode of election and appointment of militia officers hereby 
directed, shall not be found conducive to the improvement of the militia, the Le- 
gislature may abolish the same, and provide by law for their appointment and 
removal, if two-thirds of the members present in each house shall concur therein, 

ARTICLE XII. 

Sec. 1. Members of the Legislature and all officers, executive and judicial, 
except such inferior officers as may be by law exempted, shall, before they enter 
on the duties of their respective offices, take and subscribe the following oath or 
affirmation : — 

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will support the 
Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the state of New York ; 
and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of according 

to the best of my ability." 

And no other oath, declaration, or test shall be required as a qualification for any 
office or public trust. 

ARTICLE XIII. 

Sec. 1. Any amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be proposed 
in the Senate and Assembly ; and if the same shall be agreed to by a majority of 
the members elected to each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or 
amendments shall be entered on their journals, with the yeas and nays taken there- 
on, and referred to the Legislature to be chosen at the next general election of 
Senators, and shall be published for three months previous to the time of making 
such choice, and if in the Legislature so next chosen, aforesaid, such proposed 
amendment or amendments, shall be agreed to, by a majority of all the members 
elected to each house, then it shall be the duty of the Legislature to submit such 
proposed amendment or amendments to the people, in such manner and at such 
time as the Legislature shall prescribe ; and if the people shall approve and ratify 
such amendment or amendments, by a majority of the electors qualified to vote for 
members of the Legislature, voting thereon, such amendment or amendments shall 
become part of the constitution. 

Sec. 2. At the general election to be held in the year eighteen hundred and sixty- 
six, and in each twentieth year thereafter, and also at such time as the Legislature 
may by law provide, the question, " Shall there be a Convention to revise the Con- 
stitution, and amend the same 1" shall be decided by the electors qualified to vote 
for members of the Legislature ; and in case a majority of the electors so qualified, 
voting at such election, shall decide in favor of a Convention for such purpose, the 
Legislature at its next session, shall provide by law for the election of delegates to 
such Convention. 

ARTICLE XIV. 

Sec. 1. The first election of Senators and Members of Assembly, pursuant to 
the provisions of this Constitution, shall be held on the Tuesday succeeding the 
first Monday of November, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven. 

The Senators and Members of Assembly who may be in office on the first day of 
January, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, shall hold their offices until 
and including the thirty-first day of December following, and no longer. 

Sec. 2. The first election of Governor, and Lieutenant-Governor under this 
Constitution, shall be held on the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of Novem- 
ber, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight ; and the Governor and Lieutenant- 
Governor in office when this Constitution shall take effect, shall hold their respect- 
ive offices until and including the thirty-first day of December of that year. 

Sec. 3. The Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, Attorney General, 
District Attorney, Surveyor General, Canal Commissioners, and Inspectors of State 
Prisons, in office when this Constitution shall take effect, shall hold their respective 
offices until and including the thirty-first day of December, one thousand eight 
hundred and forty-seven, and no longer. 

Sec. 4. The first election of judges and clerk of the Court of Appeals, justices 
of the Supreme Court, and county judges, shall take place at such time between 

6* 



118 STATE OF NEW YORK, 

the first Tuesday of April and the second Tuesday of June, one thousand eight 
hundred and forty-seven, as may be prescribed by law. The said courts shall 
respectively enter upon their duties, on the first Monday of July, next thereafter ; 
but the term of office of said judges, clerk and justices, as declared by this Consti- 
tution, shall be deemed to commence on the first day of January, one thousand 
eight hundred and forty-eight. 

Sec. 5. On the first Monday of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty- 
seven, jurisdiction of all suits and proceedings then pending in the present supreme 
court and court of chancery, and all suits and proceedings originally commenced 
and then pending in any court of common pleas, (except in the city and county of 
New York,) shall become vested in the supreme court hereby established. Pro- 
ceedings pending in courts of common pleas, and in suits originally commenced in 
justices courts, shall be transferred to the county courts provided for in this Consti- 
tution, in such manner and form, and under such regulation as shall be provided 
by law. The courts of oyer and terminer hereby established, shall, in their re- 
spective counties, have jurisdiction, on and after the day last mentioned, of all 
indictments and proceedings then pending in the present courts of oyer and termi- 
ner, and also of all indictments and proceedings then pending in the present courts 
of general sessions of the peace, except in the city of New York, and except in 
cases of which the courts of sessions hereby established, may lawfully take cogni- 
zance ; and of such indictments and proceedings as the courts of sessions hereby 
established, shall have jurisdiction, on and after the day last mentioned. 

Sec. 6. The chancellor and the present supreme court shall, respectively, have 
power to hear and determine any of such suits and proceedings ready on the first 
Monday of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, for hearing or decis- 
ion, and shall, for their services therein, be entitled to their present rates of com- 
pensation, until the first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, or 
until all such suits and proceedings shall be sooner heard and determined. Mas- 
ters in chancery may continue to exercise the functions of their office, in the court 
of chancery, so long as the Chancellor shall continue to exercise the functions of 
his office, under the provisions of this Constitution. 

And the Supreme Court hereby established, shall also have power to hear and 
determine such of said suits and proceedings as may be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 7. In case any vacancy shall occur in the office of chancellor or justice of 
the present Supreme Court, previously to the first day of July, one thousand eight 
hundred and forty-eight, the Governor may nominate, and by and with the advice 
and consent of the Senate, appoint a proper person to fill such vacancy. Any 
judge of the court of appeals, or justice of the supreme court, elected under this 
Constitution, may receive and hold such appointment. 

Sec. 8. The offices of chancellor, justice of the existing supreme court, circuit 
judge, vice-chancellor, assistant vice-chancellor, judge of the existing county courts 
of each county, supreme court commissioner, master in chancery, examiner in 
chancery, and surrogate, (except as herein otherwise provided,) are abolished from 
and after the first Monday of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, 
(1847.) 

Sec. 9. The Chancellor, the justices of the present supreme court, and the 
circuit judges, are hereby declared to be severally eligible to any office at the first 
election under this Constitution. 

Sec. 10. Sheriffs, clerks of counties, (including the register and clerk of the 
city and county of New York,) and justices of the peace, and coroners, in office, 
when this Constitution shall take effect, shall hold their respective offices until the 
expiration of the term for which they were respectively elected. 

Sec. 11. Judicial officers in office when this Constitution shall take effect, may 
continue to receive such fees and perquisites of office as are now authorized by 
law. until the first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, not- 
withstanding the provisions of the twentieth section of the sixth article of this 
Constitution. 

Sec. 12. All local courts established in any city or village, including the Supe- 



GOVERNMENT OF COUNTIES. 119 

rior Court, Common Pleas, Sessions and Surrogate's Courts of the city and county 
of New York, shall remain, until otherwise directed by the Legislature, with their 
present powers and jurisdictions ; and the judges of such courts, and'any clerks 
thereof in office on the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and forty- 
seven, shall continue in office until the expiration of their terms of office, or until 
the Legislature shall otherwise direct. 

Sec. 13. This Constitution shall be in force from and including the first day of 
January, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, except as herein otherwise 
provided. 

Done in convention, at the capitol, in the city of Albany, the ninth day of Octo- 
ber, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-six, and of the Independence 
of the United States of America, the seventy-first. 

in witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names. 

JOHN TRACY, President, 
and Delegate from the county of Chenango. 

James F. Starbuck. ) 

H. W. Strong, \ Secretaries. 

Fr. Segkr. ) 



GOVERNMENT 

OF COUNTIES, TOWNS, CITIES AND VILLAGES. 

Each town elects, annually, a supervisor, a town clerk, three or 
five assessors, a collector, two overseers of the poor, a town superin- 
tendent of common schools, not more than five constables, one sealer 
of weights and measures, as many overseers of highways as there are 
road districts in the town, and as many pound masters as the electors 
may deem necessary. 

The supervisors of the different towns of the county, thus elected, 
constitute a board, which meets annually for business, and holds spe- 
cial meetings when necessary. They are authorised to receive, ex- 
amine, and adjust all accounts against the county, or the several 
towns, raise money to defray them, make orders concerning the cor- 
porate property of the county, elect the county superintendent of 
common schools, fcc. 

The other officers of the counties are, tbe treasurer, county clerk, 
sheriff, coroner, district attorney, county superintendent of common 
schools, county sealer of weights and measures, road commissioners, 
inspectors, &c. By the provisions of the new constitution, most of 
these officers are chosen for three years. 

The cities are governed by a mayor, recorder, and common council. 
The latter is composed of one alderman, and one assistant alderman, 
for each ward of the city. These officers have judicial powers con- 
ferred on them, in offences not punishable with death. They also 
perform the duties of supervisors in their respective cities. 

There are nine cities in the state; viz., New York, Albany, Troy, 
Hudson, Schenectady, Utica, Buffalo, Rochester, and Brooklyn. 

The incorporated villages are governed by a president and board of 
trustees, usually five in number. There are about ] 50 incorporated 
villages in the state. 



120 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

PUBLIC EDUCATION. 

Origin and History of the Common School System. 

Though less zealous in the cause of popular education than the 
early settlers of New England, yet, ere the forests had been felled, or 
the Indian war-whoop ceased to be heard, in the neighborhood of the 
white settlements, the sturdy Hollanders began to provide for the 
education of their children. 

In 1633, Adam Roelandsen, the first schoolmaster of New Amster- 
dam, arrived in that city. In 1642, the Patroon, Van Rensselaer, 
sent over a schoolmaster for his " colonie." 

The first classical school, or academy, was established in New 
York city, the teacher being sent out from Holland, by the Dutch 
West India Company. In all the Dutch settlements, provision was 
early made for schools. 

In 1687, a Latin school was opened in the city of New York, under 
the sanction of the English government. In 1702, the first legisla- 
tive action, relative to education, occurred. This act provided for 
the establishment of a grammar school, and appropriated £50 per 
annum, for seven years, for the support of a teacher. 

Another act was passed, in 1732, to encourage a public school, in 
the city and county of New York, for teaching Latin, Greek and 
Mathematics. 

Under this act a free school was established, and endowed with 
£40 a year, for five years ; and ten scholars were to be sent from 
New York, two from Albany, and one from each of the other coun- 
ties, making twenty in all. This school was the germ of Columbia 
college. 

In 1743, Rev. Mr. Dunlap, of Cherry Valley, Otsego county, estab- 
lished the first grammar school in the state, west of Albany. Be- 
tween 1746 and 1756, several acts were passed, authorizing the raising 
of moneys, by lottery, for founding a college in New York, and, in 
1754, King's college was chartered. 

After the establishment of the state government, the interest of the 
people was again awakened to the necessity of popular education. 
On the 1st of May, 1784, an act was passed, changing the name of 
King's college to Columbia college, and establishing the board of re- 
gents of the university of New York. 

In 1789, lands were specially set apart, in the several new town- 
ships, for the promotion of literature, and the support of common 
schools. The proceeds of certain lands were also appropriated, in 
1790, by the regents, to the institutions under their care. Their in- 
come, arising from this source, in 1792, was increased by the grant 
of £1500 per annum, for five years. 

In 1793, the regents, in their report, suggested the importance of 
establishing schools in various parts of the state, for instructing chil- 
dren in the lower branches of education. These suggestions were 
renewed for the two years following, and in 1795, a common school 
system was established. 

In 1795, $50,000 annually, for five years, was appropriated from 
the public revenues, for encouraging and maintaining schools, in the 



PUBLIC EDUCATION. 121 

various cities and towns, to be expended much as the public moneys 
for schools are at the present day. 

In 1801, an act was passed, authorizing the establishment of four 
lotteries, to raise the sum of $25,000 each, one half to be paid to the 
regents of the university, and the other to the state treasury, to be 
applied for the use of common schools. This was the foundation of 
the literature and common school fund. 

In 1805, the nett proceeds of 500,000 acres of the public lands, 
and 3000 shares of bank stock, were appropriated as a fund for the 
use of common schools, to accumulate till the interest should amount 
to $50,000 per annum, after which, the interest was to be distributed, 
as the legislature should direct. 

In 1811, preparatory measures were taken to organize the school 
system, and in 1812, an act was passed for that purpose. Gideon 
Hawley, Esq., was appointed superintendent of common schools, in 
1813. From 1819 to 1827, farther appropriations of lands, stocks, and 
money, for the increase of the school fund, were made , and $100,000 
ordered to be annually distributed, while an equal sum should be 
raised by tax. 

In 1838, the sum of $165,000 per year, from the annual revenue of 
the United States deposit fund, was added to the amount previously 
distributed. Of this amount, $55,000 was to be expended yearly, 
in the purchase of suitable books for district libraries. During this 
year, the common school system was reorganized, and, with the ex- 
ception of a few amendments, assumed its present form. 

Present Condition or Common Schools. 

Funds. By a provision of the constitution, the proceeds of all 
lands belonging to the state, with the exception of such as may be 
reserved for public use, or ceded to the United States, together with 
the fund known as the common school fund, are declared to consti- 
tute " a perpetual fund, the interest of which shall be inviolably ap- 
propriated, and applied to the support of common schools, throughout 
the state." 

Of these state lands, as yet unsold, there remain about 350,000 
acres, lying mostly in the northern part of the state, and valued at 
about $175,000. These constitute the unproductive portion of the 
school fund. 

The productive capital of the fund amounts to upwards of two 
millions of dollars, and consists of bonds, mortgages, bank and state 
stocks, and money in the treasury, and yields a sufficient revenue to 
admit of the annual appropriation, and distribution of $110,000 among 
the several school districts. 

An equal amount, viz: $110,000, was, by an act passed in 1838, 
devoted to the same purpose, from the United States deposit fund. 
An additional sum of $55,000, was also granted for the purchase of 
district libraries ; by an act passed in 1843, this may be expended, 
under cei'tain restrictions, for maps, globes, and other school appara- 
tus. The whole sum appropriated, beside the above $55,000, is 
$220,000, which is applied to the payment of teachers' wages. 

The year succeeding any enumeration of the inhabitants, state or 
national, an apportionment of this sum is made out, among the sev- 
eral counties, towns, and wards, according to their population, and 



122 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

the money paid over to the treasurer of each county, for distribution. 
A certified copy of the apportionment is then forwarded lo each of 
the county clerks, to be laid before the board of supervisors, who are 
required to raise, annually, by taxation, a sum equal to that thus re- 
ceived. They may also raise any additional amount, not exceeding 
twice the amount of the apportionment, which the electors of any 
town may vote to raise, for school purposes. The amounts thus 
raised are to be paid over to the town superintendents, for distribu- 
tion among the districts. 

In addition to these sums, many of the towns annually receive in- 
comes from local funds, arising either from the sale of school lots, 
reserved in laying out new townships, in 1789, or from bequests, &c. 
In most of the large cities, large additional amounts are also raised, 
under special acts, providing for the organization and support of com- 
mon schools. 

The aggregate amount of funds applicable to school purposes, may 
be stated as follows. 

Apportioned from state funds . - . $275,000 

Equal amount raised by taxation - 275,000 

Sums raised by voluntary vote of towns - - - 20,000 

Sums raised under special acts in cities ... 200,000 
Local funds 20,000 



$790,000 

Amount raised on rate bills §450,000 

Total amount annually raised; from all sources, 

for common schools $1,240,000 

This is exclusive of the large amount invested in school houses, 
furniture, fuel, apparatus, text books, &c. 

Districts and their officers. The entire territory of the state has 
been divided into about 11,000 school districts, each averaging nearly 
four square miles. The voters of each district choose three trustees, 
of whom one holds his office for one year, one for two, and one for 
three years, a district clerk, collector and librarian, who hold their 
office one year each. 

Town Superintendents. The town superintendents of common 
schools are annually elected, by the people of each of the towns, at 
their annual town meetings, and have the general supervision of the 
common schools in their respective towns. 

County Superintendents. The county superintendent is the next 
officer in the gradation of the system, and is appointed, once in two 
years, by the board of supervisors of each county. Either they, or 
the state superintendent, may remove him from office, for neglect of 
duty, or misconduct. Each county is required, by law, to have one 
county superintendent, and where the number of districts exceeds 
150, two may be appointed. 

These officers are charged with the general supervision of the 
schools of the county, or of that section of the county, for which they 
are appointed. Their compensation may not exceed $500 a year; 
one half of which is paid by the county, and the other half by the 
state, out of the annual surplus of the common school fund. 

Within a few years past, the county superintendents, in addition 



PUBLIC EDUCATION. 123 

to their duties specified by law, have called periodical meetings of 
the town superintendents, teachers, officers and inhabitants of dis- 
tricts, for the purpose of mutual consultation, and the improvement 
of the condition of the schools; they have organized and held teach- 
ers' institutes, in the spring and autumn, for the purpose of prepar- 
ing the teachers for the more efficient discharge of their duties. 

In conjunction with the town superintendents, they select the 
pupils, which the county is entitled to send to the state normal 
school; and deliver familiar lectures on topics connected with public 
school education, in each district, during their several visitations. 

They also meet annually, in convention, for the purpose of mutual 
consultation with each other, with the head of the department, and 
with the friends of education, from this, and other states. 

State Superintendent. The secretary of state is, by virtue of his 
office, superintendent of common schools. He maintains a corres- 
pondence with all the subordinate officers, and has a general over- 
sight over the whole. To him are referred, for final decision, all 
questions arising, relative to the common school laws, on appeal from 
the decisions of the county superintendents. 

He is required to report, annually, to the legislature, the condition 
of the schools in the several counties, and to do all in his power to 
promote the interests, and extend the benefits, of popular education 
throughout the state. He appoints one of the clerks of the state de- 
partment, as his deputy, who aids him in the discharge of his duties, 
and who, in case of hisabsence ; or the vacating of the office, becomes 
acting superintendent. 

For a full exposition of the duties of all the officers of the common 
school system, reference may be had to the common school law, a 
copy of which may be found in each district. 

Statistics of the Common Schools. From the last annual report of 
the state superintendent, made to the legislature, in January, 184G, 
we gather the following statistics : 
Whole number of children between the ages of live and sixteen, in 

the state, Jan., 1845, ------- 690,914 

Whole number, of all ages, under instruction the whole or a part of 

the year, 1845, --------- 736,045 

Average annual increase of children between the ages of five and 

sixteen, since 1815, is more than ------ 18,000 

Average annual increase of children of all ages, receiving instruction, 20,549 
Average number of months in which schools have been kept during 

the year 1845, --------- 8 

Amount of public money paid for teachers' wages in 1845, - $629,856 94 
Amount paid on rate bills for the same purpose, - 458,127 00 

Total, - $1,087,983 94 

Amount expended for district libraries, ----- $95,159 25 

Number of volumes in district libraries, 1st July, 1845, - - 1,145,250 

Average annual increase of volumes, - 100,000 

Number of pupils in attendance at private and select schools in 1845, 56,058 

State Normal, School. 
By an act, passed by the legislature of 1844, $9,600 was appropri- 
ated for that year, and $10,000 annually, for five years thereafter, and 
until otherwise directed by law, for the establishment and support 
of a state normal school, for the instruction and practice of teachers 



124 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

of common schools, in the science of education, and in the art of 
teaching. 

This institution is located in the city of Albany, and placed under 
the direction of the state superintendent of common schools, and the 
regents of the university. This board appoint an executive commit- 
tee, of five persons, of whom the state superintendent is one, ex offi- 
cio, to superintend the general interests of the school, to carry into 
effect the laws enacted for its regulation, and to report to the board 
annually. 

By the regulations of the executive committee, superintendent, 
and board of regents, each county of the state is entitled to a number 
of pupils equal to double its representation in the house of assembly, 
making in -all 256 pupils ; to be selected by the county and town su- 
perintendents. No charge for instruction or for books is made; and 
each pupil receives a sum sufficient, on a liberal estimate, to defray 
his or her traveling expenses, to and from the institution. 

The board of instruction consists of a principal, a professor of 
mathematics, a teacher of vocal music, one of drawing, and six sub- 
ordinate teachers, in the various branches, deemed requisite to the 
complete preparation of teachers of common schools. - ■» 

Connected with the institution are two experimental schools, com- 
posed of fifty children each, between the ages of five and sixteen, and 
under the general supervision of a teacher, specially appointed for 
this purpose. Into these, the more advanced pupils of the normal 
school pass, in succession, for a period of three or four weeks each, 
to test their practical abilities, as educators, before their final grad- 
uation. 

No definite term of instruction is prescribed. Each pupil is re- 
quired to complete a specified course of studies, to the full satisfac- 
tion of the principal and board of instructors, by whom, and the ex- 
ecutive committee, diplomas, setting forth that fact, are conferred, 
semi-annually, in the months of March and September. 

The institution is furnished with a large and well selected library, 
and all the scientific apparatus requisite to a full and thorough course 
of instruction, in the various branches of a sound, English education. 
The number of students, of both sexes, in 1846, exceeded two 
hundred. 

City School Organizations. 

1. City o/JVew York. In the city of New York, the common 
schools are divided into three classes, viz: 1st, Public and Primary 
schools, under the care of the public school society ; 2d, Ward 
schools, under the management of the commissioners, inspectors and 
trustees of the respective wards ; 3d, Corporate schools, conducted 
by officers, elected under their respective charters. 

These are all subject to the general supervision of the county su- 
perintendent, and to the inspection and management of the board of 
education, which consists of two commissioners, two inspectors, and 
five trustees in each ward. These officers are elected by the people ; 
the commissioners and inspectors hold their offices for two years, 
and the trustees for five years. They all participate in the public 
money, and in that raised by the general and special laws, for school 
purposes. 



PUBLIC EDUCATION. 125 

in 



The Public School Society was incorporated by the legislature, n 
1805 and un to the year 1843, had the entire control of all the com 
mon schools in the city. They have eighteen public, and fifty -four 
primary schools, beside two public and four primary schools for col- 
ored children. In these schools, in 1846, 22,500 children were in- 
structed, at a cost, for tuition, of a little more than $"73,000 

There are three normal schools, also, under the control of this 
society, intended for the instruction of the monitors, and junior 
teachers of the schools; these normal schools are held on Saturday 
of each week, and during a portion of the year, in the evenings ot 
the other days of the week. To each of the primary and public 
schools, a well selected library is attached. 

The ward schools occupy from twenty to twenty-five buildings, 
comprising upwards of fifty schools, and having more than 25,000 
children under instruction. There are, beside, thirteen corporate 
schools, mostly connected with benevolent institutions, and embra- 
cing upwards of 2000 scholars. 

The aggregate number of children taught in all the public schools, 
during some portion of the year, exceeds fifty thousand; and it is 
supposed that about 30,000 more attend the various select schools in 
the city 

The amount of public money annually expended for common 

schools, is as follows: 

Apportioned by the state ... - - $JSm 
An equal amount raised by tax - - - - JD.uuu w 
One twentieth of one per cent, on the valuation of 

real and personal property - U o'2in rp 

Raised under special acts ----- 8,360 bo 

Total $192,971 29 

2 City of Rochester. The common schools of this city are under 
the control of a board of education, consisting of two commissioners 
for each ward, annually elected by the people of the several wards, 
and a city superintendent, chosen by them. . 

The schools are entirely supported by taxation, no charge being 
made for instruction or text books. There are in the city, sixteen 
school houses, all substantial buildings, furnished with ample play 
grounds, and other conveniences. In these edifices there are be- 
tween fortv and fifty schools, under the care of sixteen male, and 
thirty female teachers, and comprising about 6000 children, nearly 
all that are of suitable asre, residing in the city. 

3. City of Buffalo. ^ The mayor and aldermen of the city are, ex 
officio, commissioners of common schools; and are required annually to 
appoint a city superintendent. The schools are free, being, as in Ro- 
chester, entirely sustained by taxation. The number of districts is 
fifteen, and the "schools are under the care of fifteen male, and thirty- 
six female instructors, having, in attendance, about 7000 children. 

4. City of Hudson. The members of the common council are 
here, also, 'ex officio, commissioners of common schools. They ap- 
point three superintendents, who, together, constitute a board oi ed- 
ucation for the city. An amount, equal to four times the apportion- 
ment from the state funds, is raised by tax, and the remaining ex- 



126 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

penses are defrayed by rate bills, against those who send to the 
schools. 

5. City of Brooklyn. Here, too, the common council are, from 
their office, commissioners of common schools ; the general manage- 
ment of which is committed to a board of education, consisting of 
two members from each district appointed by the common council. 
They are divided into three classes, one of which annually goes out 
of office. The schools are free, deriving their support from assess- 
ments on the taxable property of the city. 

6. City of Utica. The board of Commissioners for common 
schools in this city, consists of six members, two of whom are elect- 
ed annually. They hold their office for three years. The rate bills 
may not exceed $2.00 per term. The remaining sums necessary for 
the support of schools, beyond the state apportionment, are raised by 
taxes. 

7. City of Schenectady. The Schenectady Lancastrian school 
society has the general control of public education, in this city and 
receives, and disburses the public money applicable to this purpose. 

8. City of Albany. The public schools of this city are under 
the supervision of a board of commissioners, nine in- number, ap- 
pointed by the Mayor, Recorder, and such of the Regents as may re- 
side in the city. The members of this board, hold office for three 
years, one third going out of office each year. 

The schools are not entirely free, the sum raised by tax being only 
twice the amount received from the state ; but the indigent are ex- 
empted from the payment of rate bills ; and a certain number of indi- 
gent pupils, who have attended the district schools at least two years, 
are supported at either of the academies of the city, or at the state 
normal school. Instruction in vocal music is provided in all the 
schools. The number of school districts is ten, and children in- 
structed about 3000. 

The city of Troy, and the villages of Poughkeepsie and Williams- 
burgh, have separate local systems, similar to those above described. 

UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, AND ACADEMIES. 

Regents of the University. These institutions are, by law, placed 
under the supervision, and subject to the visitation of a board, organ- 
ized by the legislature in 1784, under the title of " Regents of the 
University of the state of New York." This board consists of twen- 
ty-one persons ; of this board, the Governor and Lieutenant Gover- 
nor are, ex officio, members, and the others are appointed by the le- 
gislature, and hold office, during its pleasure. 

Its officers are, a Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Secretary, and 
Treasurer, elected by the board. It is their duty to examine, and re- 
port to the legislature, the modes of education, discipline, number 
of students, course of study, funds, debts, &c, of the institutions un- 
der their charge. 

They are also empowered to fill vacancies in the offices of presi- 
dent or principal of these institutions; to confer degrees, under cer- 
tain circumstances, above that of Master of Arts ; to apportion the 
annual income of the literature fund, among the several senate dis- 
tricts ; and to incorporate academies, on compliance with such terms 
as they may prescribe. 



PUBLIC EDUCATION. 127 

The Literature Fund, appropriated to the support of this class of 
institutions, amounts to $266,990 57, consisting of state, bank, and 
insurance stocks, and money in the treasury, besides 9625 acres of 
land, valued at $4300. It yields an annual revenue of about $75,000* 

Of this amount, $40,000 is divided among the academies of the 
state; $9000 to the university of the city of New York; $7001) to 
Geneva college, including its medical department; $3000 to Ham- 
ilton college; $1000 to the Albany medical college; $2300 to Gen- 
esee Wesleyan Seminary; $10,000 to the state normal school, and 
the balance to the purchase of books and apparatus for the various 
academies, in pursuance of the provisions of an act passed in 1834. 

Universities and Colleges. There are at present, in this state, 
four incorporated universities, viz ■ the University of the city of New 
York, organized in 1S32; the Madison University, at Hamilton, 
Madison county ; the Rochester University, and the Buffalo Univer- 
sity ; the three latter incorporated in 1846. 

There are also four colleges ; Columbia College, in the city of 
New York ; Union College, at Schenectady ; Hamilton College, at 
Clinton, Oneida county, and Geneva college, at Geneva, in Ontario 
county. 

In addition to these, there are five medical schools, viz ; the Col- 
lege of Physicians and Surgeons in New York city ; the Medical 
Department of the University of the city of New York; the Albany 
Medical College ; the Medical Department of Geneva College, and 
the Medical Department of the Buffalo University, organized in 1846. 

Academies. There are 179 incorporated academies in the 
state, comprising upwards of 25,000 pupils of both sexes. The 
aggregate value of the land and buildings belonging to these institu- 
tions, exceeds $1,000,000; the value of the libraries belonging to 
them, $60,000, and of their apparatus, $56,000. The aggregate 
amount paid for tuition, during the year 1845, was over $200,000; 
the number of teachers employed, over 600 ; and the number of stu- 
dents gratuitously instructed, over 200. 

The branches of study taught, embrace, in addition to those ordi- 
narily pursued in common schools, the higher departments of mathe- 
matics and natural Philosophy, with their various applications to 
practical uses ; the languages, ancient and modern; the physical sci- 
ences ; moral and intellectual philosophy ; history in its widest and 
most comprehensive range; natural theology; political economy; 
vocal, and occasionally, instrumental, music ; drawing, and other ac- 
complishments. _ 

There are several female academies and seminaries ; among which, 
the Albany Female Academy, and Female Seminary, the Troy, Rut- 
gers, in the city of New York, Poughkeepsie, Amsterdam, Schenec 
tady, Clinton, Utica, Auburn, Ontario atCanandaigua, Batavia, Le Roy, 
Seward, and Rochester Female Seminaries, are the most prominent. 
Theological Seminaries. Of these there are nine, viz: the Ham- 
ilton Theological Institution, now forming a department of the Mad- 
ison University, in Hamilton, Madison county, under the patronage 
of the Baptist denomination, but open, without distinction, to students 
of every religious denomination, designing to prepare themselves for 
the gospel ministry ; the Oneida Conference Seminary, founded by 
the Methodists, and located in the village of Cazenovia, Madison 



128 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

county ; the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, at Lima, Livingston 
county; Auburn Theological Seminary, (Presbyterian;) the Hartwick 
Theological Seminary, (Lutheran ;) the Theological Seminary of the 
Associate Reformed Church of New York, at Newburgh, Orange 
county ; the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Epis- 
copal Church in the United States, located in New York city ; the 
Union Theological Seminary, in the same city ; and the Roman Cath- 
olic Ecclesiastical Seminary, at Rose Hill, in Westchester county. 
Collegiate Schools. There are seven of these institutions, located 
in different sections of the state. St. John's College, a Roman Cath- 
olic institution, pleasantly situated at Rose Hill, Westchester Co., 
about twelve miles from New York city, numbers 115 pupils; St. 
Paul's College, St. Thomas' Hall, and St. Ann's Hall, at Flushing, 
Long Island, are under the patronage of the Protestant Episcopal de- 
nomination ; the latter is specially designed for the education of 
young ladies; the Poughkeepsie Collegiate School, is located in the 
flourishing village of Poughkeepsie, and has a high reputation ; the 
Black River Literary and Religious Institute, is a well ordered and 
flourishing seminary, situated at Watertown, Jefferson county, and 
averages about 200 pupils ; and the New Brighton Collegiate School* 
situated on the heights, overlooking the village of New Brighton, on 
Staten Island, six miles from New York. 



GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 



COUNTIES 



LAND PURCHASES REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK. 

In the description of the several counties, references are made to the Manor 
of Rensselaerwyck, the Livingston Manor, the Kayaderosseras Patent, the Har- 
denburgh Patent, Phelps' and Gorham's Purchase, the Holland Land Company's 
Purchase, the Pulteney estate, the Military tract, Bingham's Purchase, Morris' 
estate, &c. 

The first three of these, are fully described in the general historical sketch, and 
in the description of the counties of Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia and Saratoga. 

The Hardenburgh Patent was granted at an early date to a Dutch citizen of 
wealth, and comprised the larger part of Delaware and Sullivan counties. 

Phelps' and Gorham's Purchase included the Holland Land Company's purchase, 
the Pulteney estate, and the Morris estate. 
The history of this purchase is as follows : 

The second charter of Massachusetts, granted by William and Mary in 1691, 
bounded the territory of that colony westwardly, by the Pacific Ocean : thus 
dividing the present state of New York into two parts, separated from each other, 
by a section of the width of the state of Massachusetts. 

The colony of New York, under the grants made to the Duke of York and 
Albany in 1664, claimed the whole extent of territory, at present included under 
her jurisdiction. These conflicting claims gave rise to long and harassing dis- 
putes, and protracted legal proceedings, but on the 16th of December, 1786, the 
controversy was settled, by a convention between the two states, concluded at 
Hartford, Conn. 

By this convention, Massachusetts ceded to New York, all claim to the gov- 
ernment, sovereignty, and jurisdiction, of the lands in controversy ; and New 
York granted to Massachusetts, the right of pre-emption, (or first purchase,) from 
the Indians, and when so purchased, the fee simple of the soil, of all that part of 
the state, lying west of a mei.dian drawn through Seneca lake, except a tract one 
mile wide, along the shores of Lake Erie, and the Niagara river ; a territory now 
comprising thirteen entire counties, and the larger part of Wayne county, and 
containing nearly 600,000 inhabitants. 

On the first of April, 1788, the state of Massachusetts contracted to sell to 
Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, the right of pre-emption, to the whole of 
this vast tract, for the sum of one million dollars, to be paid in three equal instal- 
ments. 

On the 8th of July, of the same year, Messrs. Phelps and Gorham made a treaty 
with the Indians in the neighborhood of Canandaigua, by which the Indian title 
was extinguished to the tract lying east of the Genesee river, and a tract extend- 
ing twelve miles west of that river, from York, in Genesee county, northward to 
the lake. This tract was confirmed to the contractors, by the Massachusetts legis- 
lature, in November, 1788. 



130 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

In February, 1790, Messrs. Phelps and Gorham, having paid $666,(566, on the 
purchase money, and being unable to pay the third instalment, at the time agreed, 
proposed to the state of Massachusetts, to surrender to the state the remaining 
portion, to which the Indian title was not extinguished, and should the amount 
already purchased of the Indians, prove more than one-third of the whole tract, 
to pay for the excess, at the average price of the whole. This proposition was 
accepted. 

On the 18th of November, 1790, Messrs. Phelps and Gorham sold to Robert 
Morris, all of their tract east of the Genesee river, except the portion already sold 
to settlers, and two townships reserved to themselves. The tract thus sold, con- 
tained 1,264,000 acres, and Mr. Morris paid about $200,000 for it. 

The lands surrendered to the state of Massachusetts were sold to Samuel Og- 
den, and by him to Robert Morris, who extinguished the Indian title for the sum 
of $100,000. Mr. Morris, by this purchase, became possessed of the greater part 
of the tract, originally purchased by Messrs. Phelps and Gorham. 

Mr. Morris, soon after, sold to a company formed in Holland, a portion of the 
land thus purchased, comprising 3,200,000 acres, and including the present coun- 
ties of Erie, Niagara, Chautauque, and Cattaraugus. This company was known 
as the Holland Land Company, and their tract as the Holland Purchase. They 
established a land office at Batavia, and sold the land to actual settlers. Those 
lands which remained unsold, were, after a time, transferred to other associa- 
tions, but by far the larger part, are now owned by the inhabitants. 

The tract purchased of Phelps and Gorham, by Mr. Morris, was sold by him, to 
Sir William Pulteney, and hence called the Pulteney estate. It comprised nearly 
all of Steuben, Yates, and Ontario counties, the east range of townships in Alle- 
gany, and the principal part of Livingston, Monroe, and Wayne counties. About 
one-third of the whole tract had been sold to companies and individuals, previous to 
Sir William's purchase. Mr. Williamson was appointed his agent, and opened land 
offices at Geneva and Bath. To his energy, public spirit, and liberality, the peo- 
ple of those counties are much indebted. 

The tract lying between this estate, and the Holland purchase, was retained by 
Mr. Morris, and sold by him to actual settlers. It embraced portions of Orleans, 
Genesee, Wyoming, and Allegany counties, and contained 500,000 acres. 

The Military tract, or rather tracts, for there were two to which this name was 
applied, were bounty lands, granted by New York, to her soldiers, who had served 
during the revolutionary war ; an appropriation of 600 acres was made to every 
private soldier, and larger quantities to the officers. 

The act, granting these lands, was passed in 1786, and the grant was made, 
with the proviso, that the Indian title should first be extinguished. The lands 
thus granted, comprised the present counties of Onondaga, Cortland, Tompkins, 
Cayuga, Seneca, and part of Oswego, and Wayne. It contained 1,680 000 acres, 
As, however, the Indian title was not immediately extinguished, the legislature, 
the same year, appropriated twelve northern townships in the present counties 
of Clinton, Franklin, and Essex, containing 768,000 acres, to the location of 
revolutionary patents. This was called the Old Military tract. The Indian title 
to the other traot, however, being extinguished in 1789, the greater part of the 
bounty lands were located in Onondaga, and the adjacent counties. 

Bingham's Purchase was a tract some twenty miles square, lying partly in 
Broome county, and partly in the state of Pennsylvania. It was purchased by 
Messrs. Bingham, Wilson, and Cox, of Philadelphia, in 1785. Immediately north 
of this, was another purchase, mads the succeeding year, by a company from 
Massachusetts, and containing 230,000 acres. There were sixty proprietors in 
this company. 

Large tracts of land are also held in the counties of Jefferson and St. Law- 
rence, by the Messrs. Van Rensselaer, and Governeur Morris ; and in different 
sections of the state, by Gerrit Smith, Esq., of Peterboro, Chenango county, and 
the heirs of the Messrs. Wadsworth, of Livingston county. 



COUNTIES. 



131 



I. ALBANY COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 515. 
Organized, 1683. 



Population, 77,268. 
Valuation, 1845, $15,603,161. 




1. ' bany, 1686. 

2. Watervliet, 1788. 

3. Rensselaerville. 1790. 

4. Coeymans, 1791. 

5. Bethlehem, 1793. 



TOWNS. 

6. Berne, 1795 

7. Guilderland, 1803. 

8. Westerlo, 1815. 

9. Knox, 1822. 

10. New Scotland, 1832. 



Mountains, g. HelJerberg Hills. 

Rivers, &c. C. Hudson. F. Mohawk, h. Norman's kill. c. Co- 
eymans creek, d. Haivnakrans kill. e. Provost creek, f. Foxes 
creek. 

Falls, b. Cohoes falls. 

Cities and Villages. Albany, West Troy, Coeymans, Rensselaer- 
ville, Cohoes. 

Boundaries. North by Schenectady and Saratoga counties ; 
East by the Hudson ; South by Greene ; and West by Scho- 
harie county. 



132 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Surface. The surface is much varied. Along the Hudson, 
extends an alluvial valley, from a fourth of a mile to a mile in 
width. From this valley the land rises abruptly, 140 feet, and 
thence a table land gradually ascends, to the base of the Hel- 
derberg hills. Along the Mohawk, the surface is rugged and 
broken. 

The Helderberg hills extend through the western part of the 
county, uniting, on the south, with the Catskill range. 

They are from 400 to 500 feet in height, and very precipitous. Their eleva- 
tion is quite uniform, displaying no isolatect"peaks. 

Rivers and Streams. The county is well watered. Besides 
the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, which partially bound it, the 
Norman's kill, Coeymans creek, Haivnakraus kill, Provost 
creek, Foxes' creek, Boza kill, Vlamans kill, and the Pa- 
troon's creek, are the principal streams. 

Most of these, as well as several smaller streams, have valuable waterfalls, af- 
fording great facilities for manufacturing. 

The Cohoes, or Great Falls of the Mohawk, at the village of 
Cohoes, lie partly in this, and partly in Saratoga county. 

The river here descends, at a single leap, 70 feet, and then pursues its way, 
over the rocks, in the channel, which its waters have cut through the solid rock, to 
the depth of more than 100 feet, to the Hudson. Few cataracts possess more 
picturesque beauty. 

Railroads. The Troy and Schenectady, and the Mohawk 
and Hudson railroads, cross the northeastern section of the 
county, and the Catskill and Canajoharie, the southeastern. 

Climate. The climate is quite variable, being subject to 
great extremes of heat and cold. Though unfavorable to those 
affected with pulmonary diseases, it is considered as generally 
healthy. 

Geology and Mineralogy. The geological formation of the 
county is transition ; graywacke and slate are the prominent 
characteristics of the banks of the Hudson and Mohawk. In 
the Helderbergs, are fond lime and sandstone, both abounding 
in organic remains. 

In the elevated table lands, lying between the Helderbergs 
and the Hudson river, are thick beds of blue and yellow marl, 
of clayey consistence, and destitute of fossils. They are cov- 
ered with yellow sand. 

Bog iron ore is found, in numerous localities, in the county. Marl, and water 
limestone, also abound. There are several mineral springs, some of which con- 
tain sulphuretted hydrogen, others carbonic acid gas, iron, and magnesia. 

Epsom salts are found at Coeymans Landing, and petroleum in Guilderland. 
In the limestone cliffs of the Helderbergs, are several extensive caverns, contain- 
ing quartz and other crystals, stalactites and stalagmites of great beauty ; calcare- 
ous spar, bitumen and alum also occur in the county. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. A portion of the soil is 



ALBANY COUNTY. 133 

fertile and productive, and most of that, which was naturally 
sterile, has, by the skill of the husbandman, been made to yield 
abundant returns. Considerable tracts, however, are not sus- 
ceptible of cultivation. 

The timber of the county is princioally pine, hemlock, oak, hickory, elm, chest- 
nut, and birch. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the in- 
habitants. This may be reckoned as one of the grain growing 
counties, although not one of the most productive. 

Oats, corn, rye, buckwheat, and barley, are the principal grains ; potatoes are 
raised in considerable quantities. The western part is favorable to grazing, and 
butter is there largely produced. The number of sheep in the county is large, 
and increasing annually. 

Manufactures also occupy the attention of a large number of 
the citizens of the county. In 1845, these considerably exceeded 
two and a half millions of dollars, of which about two millions 
were produced in the city of Albany. 

The principal articles manufactured were, iron ware, flour, malt liquors, 
coaches and sleighs, machinery, cotton and woollen goods, brick, cordage, oil 
and oil cloths. 

Commerce. The navigation of the Hudson river, and the 
Erie and Champlain canals, furnishes employment to large 
numbers, and this commerce is increasing, in a rapid annual 
ratio. 

Tolls were received, in 1845, in the county, upon produce valued at about 
twenty-seven millions of dollars. About thirty-five steamers, seventy tow boats, 
and 630 sloops and schooners, beside scows, &c, are employed in the Albany 
trade, on the Hudson. The total amount of shipping, belonging to the county, 
is about 60,000 tons. 

Staple Productions. Oats, corn, rye, barley, buckwheat, 
butter and wool. 

Schools. There are, in the county of Albany, 160 district 
school houses. In 1845, schools were taught, on an average, 
ten months. During that year, 14,600 children were instructed, 
at an expense of about $25,000, for tuition. The district libra- 
ries contained about 29,000 volumes. 

There were also, in the county, the same year, 111 unincorporated private 
schools, with 3,856 pupils ; three academies, and two female seminaries, with 637 
pupils ; one state normal school, with 294 pupils ; and one medical college, with 
114 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Dutch Reformed, 
Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, 
Friends, Unitarians, Lutherans, Congregationalists, Universal- 
ists, and Jews.* 

History. When Henry Hudson ascended the North river, 
in 1609, he despatched Hendrick Corstiaensen, with a small 

* The religious denominations are given, throughout this work, in the order 
of their numbers, beginning with the most numerous. 



134 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

crew, in a boat, to ascertain the highest point to which that river 
was navigable. Corstiaensen penetrated as far as Troy, or 
Lansingburgh, but landed at the present site of the city of 
Albany. 

In 1611, or 12, he returned and erected a trading house, on 
Boyd's island, a short distance below the Albany ferry. In the 
ensuing spring, this was so much injured by the ice and the 
freshet, that he was compelled to abandon it. He then erected 
a fort, on a hill, about two miles south of Albany. 

In 1623 a fort was erected near the present Fort Orange 
Hotel, in the city of Albany, mounting eight large cannon.* It 
was named Fort Orange, in honor of the Prince of Orange, 
who, at that time, presided over the Netherlands. 

This fort was intended to subserve the double purpose, of affording convenient 
accommodations for the traffic with the Indians, and also of serving as a protec- 
tion against sudden attacks from them. It was only occupied during the autumn, 
and winter, by the traders, whose object was trade, not colonization. 

In 1630, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, a wealthy pearl merchant, 
of Amsterdam, purchased, through his agents, a large tract of 
land, including most of this, as well as several of the adjacent, 
counties. 

Over this extensive tract, he possessed all the authority of a 
sovereign, and, anxious to improve it to the best advantage, he 
sent a colony here, in 1631, well provided with whatever was 
necessary, to commence a new settlement. To his estate he 
gave the name of Rensselaerwyck. 

It is believed that he never visited his colony. The administration of justice, 
and the management of its financial affairs, he committed to a commissary gene- 
ral. Fortunate in the selection of these, his colony prospered much more than 
that at New Amsterdam, and it was to the good offices of Van Curler, or Corlaer, 
the first commissary, that the colonists at New Amsterdam were indebted, more 
than once, for their preservation from destruction, at the hands of the savages. 
This excellent man cultivated the most friendly relations with the Indians, and so 
strong was their affection for him, that, ever after, they applied the name of Cor- 
laer to the governors of New York, as the highest title of respect. 

In 1642, Mr. Van Rensselaer sent over the Rev. Johannes 
Megapolensis, as minister of Rensselaerwyck, supporting him 
at his own expense. The first church was erected the suc- 
ceeding year, and furnished with a bell and pulpit, by the Dutch 
West India Company. In 1646, the venerable patroon died, at 
Amsterdam. His son Johannes, then a minor, succeeded him. 

During the administration of Governor Stuyvesant, serious 
difficulties occurred between him and the agent of the patroon, 
which were finally referred to the states general of Holland, for 
decision. After New York came into the possession of the Eng- 

* Stone pieces, they are called in the original Dutch records ; meaning, ac- 
cording to Judge Vanderkemp, that they were loaded with stone, instead of 
iron balls. They were of very large caliber. 



ALBANY COUNTY. 135 

lish, the name of Beaverwyck, which had been bestowed upon 
the settlement, was changed to Albany, that being one of the 
titles of the Duke of York. The right of soil was confirmed to 
the patroon, by a new patent, but the government was retained 
in the hands of the governor of the colony. 

In 1686, Governor Dongan granted a charter to the city of 
Albany, and Peter Schuyler, the friend of the Indians, was 
elected the first mayor. 

In 1689-90, the citizens of this county refused to submit to the 
administration of Leisler and Milborne, but were at length 
compelled, by the fears of an Indian invasion, to yield allegi- 
ance. No sooner, however, did Colonel Sloughter arrive, 
than he was welcomed by the people of this county, whose at- 
tachment to Leisler had never been ardent, or sincere. » 

In all the treaties with the Indian tribes, the citizens of Albany bore a con- 
spicuous par, and so entirely had they won the confidence of the savages, that 
from the date of its settlement, the county was never invaded, by these sons of 
the forest. The Schuyler family, for several generations, exerted a powerful in- 
fluence over the Indians. 

During the revolution, the Albany committee nobly sustained 
their countrymen, in their opposition to British sway, and af- 
forded aid, in troops and money, to the suffering inhabitants of 
Tryon county, to assist them in repelling the frequent attacks of 
the merciless horde of tories and Indians, who ravaged their 
settlements. 

Burgoyne had boasted, at the commencement of his campaign, that his army 
should revel upon the spoils of Albany, but he only visited the city as a captive. 
Sir Henry Clinton twice attempted to invade it, but met with sufficient obstacles 
to prevent his success. 

It became the capital of the state in 1S07. Since the intro- 
duction of steamboats, and the completion of the canals, the 
growth of the city and county have been rapid, and the lines of 
railroads, which connect it with Boston and Buffalo, are giving 
it a still greater impulse. 

The extensive manor of Rensselaerwyck, occupying a territory twenty-four by 
forty-eight miles in extent, descended, by entailment, to the eldest male descendant 
of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer. The last proprietor was the late patroon, Stephen 
Van Rensselaer, a man, whose munificent patronage of every object which could 
benefit his fellow citizens, or aid in diffusing happiness among men, has embalmed 
his memory. 

At his death, the manor was divided between his two sons, Stephen and William 
P. Van Rensselaer, the former receiving the portion west of the Hudson, and the 
latter, that lying east of the river. 

The lands had usually been granted on permanent leases, the rental being pay- 
able in produce. Some personal services were usually required, by the terms of 
the lease, but seldom exacted by the patroon. The effort, on the part of the 
present proprietors, to enforce the collection of the rents, was met by strenuous 
opposition, on the part of the tenants, who formed themselves into armed organiza- 
tions, and in their conflict with the officers of the law, several individuals were 
killed. 

These organizations have, of late, assumed a political character. Both the 



136 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

proprietors and the tenants have sought redress from the legislature, but as yet 
no decisive action has been taken, by that body. The inconsistency of the feudal 
tenure, with the spirit of our institutions, will be admitted by all ; but there is 
great difficulty in legislating justly upon the subject. 

Cities and Villages.- Albany city is situated on the west 
bank of the Hudson, 145 miles above New York. It appears to 
great advantage, from the river, rising rapidly from the 
bank, and exhibiting its public buildings in bold relief. The 
alluvial valley of the Hudson extends about a quarter of a mile 
from the river bank. From this valley, a bluff rises abruptly, 
140 feet, and, in the distance of a mile, about eighty feet more. 
Upon this bluff, are situated most of the public buildings. 

In 1845, the city had 116 streets and lanes. It is divided into 
ten wards, each of which elect annually, an alderman and as- 
sistant alderman, who together form the common council of the 
city. 

The public buildings are, many of them, elegant and costly. 
The Capitol, erected at an expense of $120,000, is a fine free- 
stone edifice. The State Hall, built of white marble, and fire- 
proof, is an elegant building, of the Ionic order, surmounted by 
a dome. It cost $350,000. The City Hall stands near it, and 
is also a fine Grecian structure, of white marble, surmounted 
by a gilded dome. The Albany Academy, an elegant building 
of Nyack freestone, opposite the state hall, cost, including the 
grounds, more than $100,000. 

This building, and the capitol have large parks, in front, surrounded by sub- 
stantial iron fences, and planted with ornamental trees and shrubbery. 

The Albany Female Academy is a chaste, marble building, 
erected at a cost of about $30,000. The Albany Exchange, of 
massive granite ; the Museum, of marble; the Medical College, 
of brick, and well adapted to the purposes, to which it is applied ; 
the State Normal School ; and the State Geological rooms, oc- 
cupying the old state hall, are the other principal buildings. 

Several of the churches, also, are deserving of notice for their 
architectural beauty. Among these, we may mention the Mid- 
dle Dutch church, on Beaver street ; the Pearl street Baptist 
church, a finely proportioned structure, in the Ionic style, and 
surmounted by a splendid dome ; the Hudson street Methodist 
church, one of the most chaste and beautiful models for a 
church in the United States ; the Presbyterian, and Roman 
Catholic churches, in Chapel street, &c, &c. 

Among the hotels the Delavan House, stands preeminent for 
simple grandeur and chasteness of architecture. It was comple- 
ted in 1845, and cost about $200,000. The Eagle, Congress 
Hall, Mansion, Townsend, American, Carlton, Stanwix Hall, 
and the Franklin House, are also well conducted hotels. 



ALBANY COUNTY. 137 

The State Library, founded by the munificence of the state, 
has an excellent collection of works on history, geography, and 
general literature. An extensive law library is connected with 
it. The entire collection numbers over 15,000 volumes, and is 
accessible to all, without charge. 

The Albany Library, founded in 1792, and now numbering 
about 9,000 volumes, occupies apartments in the Albany fe- 
male academy. The Albany Institute is a scientific institution, 
designed to encourage attention to history, and general science, 
in the city and state. It has a valuable library, of nearly 2000 
volumes, in the building of the Albany academy. 

The Young Men's Association occupies a fine suite of rooms 
in the exchange. It has a well conducted reading room, a 
library of 3200 volumes, and sustains a course of lectures each 
winter. The number of its members is over 1500. It was the 
first institution of the kind in the state. 

The Alms House has connected with it, a fine farm of 150 
acres, cultivated by the inmates. There are in the city, two 
Orphan Asylums, supported by private charity, which provide 
for the support and education of about 150 children; and a num- 
ber of other benevolent societies. 

The Albany Academy, founded in 1813, has eight teachers, 
and about 200 pupils. The Albany Female Academy, founded 
in 1814, has twelve teachers, and about 275 pupils. The 
Albany Female Seminary has six teachers. There are nu- 
merous other schools, of considerable reputation. The public 
schools have nine school houses, costing between $30,000 and 
$40,000. 

The Albany Medical College is a flourishing medical school, 
having an able faculty, and one of the best anatomical museums 
in the United States. It has seven professors. 

The State Geological Rooms, in the old state hall, contain 
the splendid collection of the state geologists, arranged, in the 
lower rooms, in the order of the successive strata, and in the 
upper, in the order of the counties. Here, too, are specimens 
of the mineral and vegetable treasures of the state, appropri- 
ately arranged, and a large collection of the quadrupeds, birds, 
fishes and reptiles of the state. They are open, free of expense, 
to all. 

At the junction of the Erie canal with the Hudson, the citi- 
zens have constructed an extensive basin, to protect the boats 
from the winds, and give them greater facilities for discharging 
their cargoes. 

The city is largely engaged in manufactures. Its iron found- 
ries are among the largest in the country. More stoves are 
manufactured here, than in any other city, or town, in the union. 



138 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Coaches, sleighs, hats, caps, and bonnets, are also largely man- 
ufactured ; the three latter articles, to the amount of nearly one 
million of dollars, annually. It has extensive manufactories of 
pianofortes. Leather is produced to the amount of more than 
$400,000 per annum. Population in 1845, 41,139. 

West Troy, in the town of Watervliet, is a thriving village, 
possessing excellent hydraulic privileges, which it derives from 
the surplus waters of the Erie canal. It is a convenient depot 
for merchandise, from its facilities for transportation, and is 
largely engaged in manufactures, having twenty-five or thirty 
manufacturing establishments. The United States arsenal, es- 
tablished here in 1813, is the largest arsenal of construction, in 
the United States. 

Attached to the establishment, are about 100 acres of land, containing thirty- 
eight buildings, for workshops and storehouses. It constantly employs about 200 
officers, soldiers, and workmen, and manufactures annually, munitions of war, to 
the amount of about $100,000. The grounds are enclosed by an iron fence in 
front, and a wall of stone on the sides and rear. 

The Erie and Champlairi canals form a junction, a short dis- 
tance above the village, and a bridge and two ferries connect it 
with Troy. Population in 1845, about 6000. 

At Neskayuna in the same township, is a community of 
Shaking (Quakers, established in 1776, by Ann Lee, the founder 
of the sect. This was the first Shaker establishment in the 
United States. 

Cohoes village, also in this town, possesses one of the finest 
water privileges in the state, and its advantages for manufac- 
turing, are hardly surpassed. It is estimated, that at the lowest 
stage of the water, there is sufficient to run 1,000,000 spindles. 
Population in 1845, over 2000. 

Rensselaerville, in the town of the same name, is situated on 
Foxes creek. It has some manufactures, and about 1000 in- 
habitants.* 

Coeymans is a small manufacturing village, having a good 
landing, and some trade with New York. It has also some 
manufactures. Population 1000. 

* From this town, in 1779, Captain Deitz, and two lads named John and Robert 
Brice, were taken as captives by the Indians, and suffered all the barbarities 
which the malice of the savages could inflict. Captain Deitz died at Montreal, 
from the effect of their cruelties ; but the boys were exchanged at the close of 
the war, and returned home. This is believed to have been the nearest ap- 
proach made to Albany, by the Indians during the Revolution. 



II. NEW YORK COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 22. 
Organized, 1683. 
Population, 391,223. 
Valuation, 1845, $239,995,517. 



The city and county are of equal extent.* 
Rivers. B. East River. C. Hudson River. 

a. Harlaem River, q. Spuyten Duy- 

vel Creek, n. Hellgate. 

Bays. A. New York Bay. 

Islands, d. Randall's. p. Barn. s. 
BlackwelFs. v. Governor's, e. Bed- 
low's, j. Ellis'. 

Forts. Castle Garden, or Castle Clin- 
ton. Fort Columbus, on Governor's 
island. Fort Wood, on Bedlow's 
island. 

Battle Fields. Kip's and Turtle Bay. 
Harlaem Heights. Fort Washington. 

Universities. Columbia College. Uni- 
versity of New York. 

Cities. New York City. 

Boundaries. North by Westches- 
ter county ; East by Westchester 
county and Long Island; South by 
Long Island and the waters of New 
York bay ; and West by New Jersey. 

Its territory extends to low water mark on 
the Jersey side of the Hudson, as well as to the 
same point on the Long Island side of the East 
river, and the Westchester side of the Harlaem. 

Surface. The lower part of the 
county, though originally rough and 
broken, has been graded and levelled, 
and now rises gradually, from the 
shores of the Hudson and East riv- 
ers, towards the centre of the city. 
The upper part is still hilly, and has 
extensive marshes. 

Rivers. The East river, or strait, 
and the Hudson, or North river, wash 
its eastern and western shores, af- 
fording fine anchorage, and sufficient 
depth of water, to permit the largest 

* The numbers refer to the wards. 






12 



16 



18 1 



SB 



15 



140 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

ships to come up to the wharves. The Harlaem river is a nar- 
row strait, connecting by means of* Spuyten Duy vel creek, East 
river with the Hudson." Several small streams water the up- 
per portions of the county, but none of them are of sufficient size 
to be worthy of notice. The original name of the island was 
Manhattan, a word of doubtful etymology, but of late years, it 
has been known by the name of New York Island. 

Bays. The upper, or New York bay, proper, is one of the 
finest harbors in the world, affording anchorage ground suffi- 
cient for the navies of the world. The lower bay, or harbor, 
is also spacious, but not so completely land locked as the upper. 

It furnishes, however, convenient and secure anchorage 
ground. 

Kip's and Turtle bays, on the east, and Striker's bay, on the 
west side of the island, are small inlets, only worthy ofnotice, 
for their historic interest. 

Islands. Randall's, Barn, and Blackwell's islands, in the 
East river, and Governor's, Bedlow's, and Ellis', in the harbor, 
with some smaller islands, belong to the county. 

On Governor's island are Fort Columbus, and Castle William ; on Bedlow's, 
Fort Wood. There are also other fortifications, on Long Island and Staten Island, 
intended, like these, for the defence of the harbor. 

Climate. The climate of New York county is, from its situ- 
ation, more equable than that of* the inland counties, generally. 
The sea breezes waft a refreshing coolness, over the heated 
streets in summer, and temper the intense cold of the wintry 
blasts. In healthfulness, it occupies a very high rank, among 
the great cities of the world. Its ratio of deaths, to the popula- 
tion, is less than that of any of the large cities of Europe. 

Geology and Minerals. The rocks of this county, with the 
exception of a small section at the extreme north, are primitive. 
Granite characterizes the river banks, and huge boulders of it 
lie scattered over the surface. Dolomite, (a species of marble), 
bog iron ore, and oxide of manganese, are the principal mine- 
rals, applicable to use in the arts. 

Among those interesting to the mineralogist, may be enumerated fine specimens 
of tremolite, pyroxene, mica, tourmaline, serpentine and amianthus. Some speci- 
mens of pyrites, epidote, lamellar feldspar, stilbite, garnet, staurotide, graphite, &c, 
have also been met with. Marble is abundant, and extensively quarried, in the 
northern part of the island. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally fer- 
tile, but too costly to be devoted to agricultural purposes. Gar- 
dens, of considerable extent, are cultivated, in the upper part of 
the island. 

The island was originally well wooded, but most of the timber is now cut off. 
Oak, pine, hemlock and chestnut, were the principal forest trees. 

Pursuits. Manufacturing is the pursuit of a majority of the 
inhabitants of the county. The articles manufactured are nu- 



NEW YORK COUNTY. 141 

nierous, and amounted, in 1845, as nearly as can be ascertained} 
to between eighteen and twenty millions of dollars, giving 
employment to more than sixty thousand persons. 

Commerce* In commerce, this county surpasses every other 
city or county on the continent, and is the second city in the 
world, in commercial importance. 

In 1845, the registered, licensed and enrolled shipping of the 
county, amounted to 550,359 tons. The shipping, entered the 
same year, amounted to over one million tons, and the clearan- 
ces, to about the same amount. 

This commerce is extended to every part of the globe. Not only do the ships 
of this port visit the various ports of our own country, and Europe, but their sails 
flutter in the breezes of China, and Japan ; their flag is known on the coasts of 
Arabia, Persia and India, and their trade sought by the swarthy sons of Africa 
and New Holland, and by the natives of the unnumbered isles, that gem the wide 
expanse of the Pacific. Wherever there is an opportunity for traffic, there the 
American flag is the first unfurled. 

Directly, or indirectly, this commerce furnishes the means of support, to many 
thousands of her own citizens, and also to millions in other counties and states. 

The great system of internal navigation, so nobly begun and 
carried on by the state, has also brought immense wealth into 
the city. 

The amount of produce brought to the Hudson, from all the canals, in 1845, the 
greater part of which came to New York, was over forty-five millions of dollars, 
and the amount, which was cleared from the Hudson river, the same year, (most 
Of which was from New York), was over fifty-five millions, making a total inter- 
nal trade, of about one hundred millions of dollars per annum. 

Agriculture is not an object of great attention. Horticulture 
furnishes employment to a considerable number of persons, in 
the upper part of the island. 

Education. The common school system of the city of New 
York has been already described. (See page 124.) 

It only remains to say, that more liberal and ample provision, for furnishing a 
thorough education, even to the most indigent, is nowhere made. The child of 
the poorest emigrant may obtain, free of expense, if he chooses, as full instruction 
in the sciences, as the son of the wealthiest citizen in the city. 

In addition to the common schools, there are twenty-eight incorporated schools 
and academies in the county, seventeen of which are female seminaries. These 
are well conducted, and attended by large numbers. There are also several hun- 
dred private and select schools, attended, it is estimated, by more than 20,000 
pupils. 

There are two colleges in the city ; viz : 1. Columbia College, 
founded in 1754. and amply endowed. It has a president and 
ten professors, 104 students, and a library of 14,000 volumes. 
The grammar school, connected with it, has between 200 and 
300 pupils. The college edifices are located at the foot of Park 
place. 

2. The University of the city of New York, located on Wash- 
ington square. The university edifice is of white marble, in the 
collegiate Gothic style, and is one of the finest buildings in the 
7* 



142 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

city. Its cost was nearly $300,000. It has a president^ and 
eleven professors, 143 students, and a valuable library. Con- 
nected with it, is a large and nourishing grammar school. 

A medical department is connected wiih the university. It is in a prosperous 
condition, and occupies a fine granite building, formerly known as the Stuyvesant 
Institute. This department has seven professors, 407 students, and a valuable 
museum. 

Besides these, there are several professional schools in the City. The College 
of Physicians and Surgeons, in Crosby street, was founded in 1807, and has al- 
ways maintained a high rank, among the medical schools of our country. It has 
seven professors, 279 students, and ah extensive and valuable museum and library. 
The College of Pharmacy is a recent institution, designed for the education of 
apothecaries. 

The General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the 
United States, occupies two elegant gothic buildings, of stone, in the upper part of 
the city, has five professors, seventy students, and a library of 7300 volumes. It 
was founded in 1819. The Union Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian 
Church, situated in University Place, was founded in 1836, has six professors, 112 
students, and a library of over 16,000 volumes. 

Religious Denominations. Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Bap- 
tists, Methodist Episcopal, Dutch Reformed, Roman Catholics, 
Methodists not Episcopal, Jews, Congregationalists, Lutherans, 
UniversalistS; Friends, Unitarians, New Jerusalem Church, 
Christians and Moravians. Number of churches 217, of cler- 
gymen 282. 

History. The leading facts, connected with the settlement 
of New York, or New Amsterdam, as the city was called by the 
Dutch, have been already stated, in the general historical 
sketch. From the time of its discovery, in 1609, by Henry Hud- 
son, up to the year 1625, no permanent settlement of emigrants 
seems to have been made. 

Companies of adventurers had visited Manhattan Island, erected trading houses, 
for carrying on the traffic in furs with the natives, and when their objects were 
accomplished, had returned to Holland. A few, perhaps, fond of this roving life, 
had remained, and acquired that knowledge of the Indian character, which ena- 
bled them, more successfully, to secure his peltries. None, however, settled as 
colonists, or procured, from its native proprietors, a title to the soil, except for the 
erection of their trading houses. 

In 1614, the Governor of Virginia, Sir Thomas Dale, in order 
to keep the restless spirits of his colony employed, fitted out 
an expedition under Captain Argall, against the French settle- 
ment at Acadia, (now Nova Scotia.) Returning from his 
cruise, Argall entered the bay of New York, and compelled the 
few Dutch traders, whom he found there, to swear fealty to the 
English crown. 

After the formation of the Dutch West India Company, they 
took immediate measures for establishing a permanent colony, 
at this important post. 

Under their fostering care, bouweries, or farms, were soon taken up, and a sub- 
stantial fort being erected, the rude dwellings of the settlers began to cluster 
around it. 



NEW YORK COUNTY. 143 

Under the administration of Minuit, it prospered and increas- 
ed in population and importance. The intemperance and quar- 
relsome tempers of the next two Governors, Van T wilier and 
Kieft, brought serious evils upon the infant settlement. The 
injustice of the latter to the Indians, having roused their enmi- 
ty, had well nigh exterminated it, in 1643 and 44. 

Wretchedness and want stared the colonists in the face, and 
but for the vigor and energy of Governor Stuyvesant's adminis- 
tration, they would perhaps have abandoned the settlement. 

In 1642, the Stadt Huys, or city Hall, was erected. It was 
built of stone, and was taken down in 1700. The same year, 
the first church, (Dutch Reformed,) was erected in the fort. 
In 1653, the city of New Amsterdam was incorporated, by the 
States General of the Netherlands, and its officers were elected 
by the people. 

In 1653, it was rumored that the New England colonists in- 
tended to attack New Amsterdam : measures were consequent- 
ly taken to put the city in a state of defence; and during that, 
and the succeeding year, a palisade of boards about twelve 
feet in height was erected, and an embankment of earth 
thrown up against it. 

Fond of their ease, however, the good citizens did not maintain their fortifica- 
tions, in such perfection, as to make them of any great avail, against an invading 
foe. 

In 1655, Governor Stuyvesant, with the greater part of the 
inhabitants of the city, capable of bearing arms, engaged in the 
expedition against the Swedes, on the south, or Delaware river. 
While they were absent on this expedition, the city was invaded 
by the Indians, several of the bouweries plundered, and a few 
killed. The Indians, however, did not venture within the city 
walls. In 1656, it was laid out into streets, and then contained 
120 houses, and 1000 inhabitants. 

In 1664, hearing of the approach of the English fleet, Governor 
Stuyvesant summoned the citizens of New Amsterdam, to aid 
him in repelling the threatened invasion, but his arbitrary sway 
had produced so much disaffection, that they were not averse to 
any change, which promised to increase their civil and religious 
privileges. 

They consequently made but little preparation for the defence 
of the city, and when Col. Nicolls demanded its surrender, offer- 
ing favorable terms of capitulation, they insisted upon a compli- 
ance with them. 

In vain Governor Stuyvesant remonstrated, threatened and 
refused to sign the treaty of capitulation ; the sturdy burghers 
were bent on submission to English rule, and he was, at length, 
compelled, though with the utmost reluctance, to affix his sig- 
nature to the instrument. As has been already stated, (sec 



144 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

page 61,) the name of' the city and county was changed, imme- 
diately after the capitulation, to New York, in honor of the 
Duke of York. 

Under the mild and beneficent administration of Colonel 
Nicolls, and his successor, Governor Lovelace, the city prosper- 
ed, and increased in population and wealth. 

It was again captured by the Dutch, in July, 1673, and during 
the administration of Governor Colve, martial law was main- 
tained. The name of the city was changed to New Orange, and 
of the fort to William Hendrick. 

In Oct. 1674, it was again surrendered to the English, and the 
old name of New York resumed, The assessors' valuation of 
property in the city, in 1688, was £78.231. (about $320,000.) In 
1690, a Congress, of the commissioners of the several colonies, 
was held at New York. In 1694, there were sixty ships, twenty- 
five sloops, and forty boats, belonging to the city. 

In 1696, Trinity church was built. This building was burned 
in 1776. The first Lutheran church was built in 1710, on the 
site lately occupied by Grace church. It was erected by some 
Palatines, who had fled from persecution in Germany. 

In 1711, a slave market was established in Wall street, near 
East river. The next year, an insurrection occurred among 
the negroes, and nineteen were executed. In 1725, the first 
newspaper was published in the state. It was called the New 
York Gazette. In 1732, the first stage commenced running, 
between New York and Boston once a month, occupying four- 
teen days in the journey. The same distance is now traversed, 
by steamboat and railroad, in nine hours. 

In 1740, the New York Society Library was founded. Du- 
ring the two succeeding years, the yellow fever prevailed in the 
city, to an alarming extent. In 1741, the Negro plot, which has 
been described, in the general history of the state, occurred. It 
occasioned great alarm in the city, as, of the 12,000 inhabitants 
it then contained, one -sixth were slaves. For the succeeding 
thirty years, the growth of the city was rapid, both in wealth 
and population. The New York Hospital was founded, by sub- 
scription, in 1769. 

In August, 1776, the city fell into the hands of the British. It 
had, at this time, a population of 30,000. In September of this 
year, occurred a disastrous fire, which consumed one-eighth of 
the houses of the city. During their stay in the city, the British 
troops destroyed all the churches, except the Episcopal, or used 
them for hospitals, prisoner's barracks, or riding schools. They 
evacuated the city, and General Washington entered it, in No- 
vember, 1783. A large number of the tory inhabitants, left 
with the British army, and their estates were confiscated. 



NEW YORK COUNTY. 145 

In 1788, the adoption of the new Constitution of the United 
States, was celebrated by a grand procession, and in 1789, 
Washington was inaugurated, as the first President, in the open 
gallery of the old City Hall, facing Broad street, 

In December, 1790, the population of the city was about 30,000. 
Free schools were established in the city, in 1797, though not 
incorporated, till 1805. In 1801, the total valuation of real estate 
in the city was a little short of $22,000,000. 

The erection of the present City Hall was determined on, 
during the next year, 1802, and the corner stone laid in Septem- 
ber, 1803. The population ofthe city in 1S00, was 60,000, hav- 
ing doubled in ten years. In 1807, the first successful attempt 
at steamboat navigation, was made on the Hudson, by Fulton 
and Livingston. 

In 1810, the population of the city was 96,000, being an in- 
crease of 36,000 in ten years. In 1815, the news of peace with 
Great Britain, was celebrated, with great rejoicings. In 1822, 
the yellow fever made its appearance. Great consternation 
was felt by the inhabitants, and large numbers left the city. 

In 1826, the completion of the Erie canal called forth an ex- 
traordinary triumphal procession. The population, in 1830, 
was 202,000. In 1832, the cholera raged fearfully in the city. 
More than 10,000 persons fell, as its victims. In December, 
1835, occurred the great fire, which destroyed property, to the 
amount of nearly $18,000,000. Severe as was this loss, the 
failures in consequence, were comparatively few. 

The same year, (1835,) the citizens voted to construct an 
aqueduct, i'rom the Croton river to their city, lor the purpose of 
supplying themselves with pure water. This magnificent en- 
terprise was so far completed, in 1842, that water was introdu- 
ced into the city, on the 14th of October, of that year, amid the 
rejoicings ofthe inhabitants. In July, 1845, another disastrous 
fire occurred, which destroyed property to the amount of about 
six millions of dollars. 

The only important battle, on New York island, was that of 
Harlaem Heights, on the 16th of September, 1776. After the 
disastrous battle of Long Island, on the 27th of August, it be- 
came evident that the American army must evacuate New 
York. Accordingly, Washington ordered the troops to retreat, 
toward the north part of the island. 

On Sunday, the 15th of September, the British; after station- 
ing their ships in the East and North rivers, so as to cannonade 
our lines, commenced landing in force, at Turtle bay: the 
American troops in the vicinity fled, without making any attempt 
at resistance. Meantime, several brigades of General Put- 
nam's division were in the city: by his exertions, they sue- 



146 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

ceeded in passing the enemy, with very trifling loss. The in- 
tense heat, however, proved fatal to a number. 

Washington then ordered the troops to occupy the heights of 
Harlaem, — a strong position. On the morning of the 16th, sev- 
eral parties of the enemy appeared, on the plains, in front of the 
American camp. Lieutenant Colonel Knowlton's rangers, who 
had been skirmishing with an advanced party, came in and re- 
ported, that a body of the enemy were under cover of a small 
eminence, at a little distance. 

Willing to raise the spirits of our men, Washington detached 
Colonel Knowlton with his rangers, (selected, mainly, from the 
Connecticut regiments,) and Major Leitch, with three compa- 
nies of choice Virginian troops, to attack them in the rear, while 
a feigned attack should be made in front. 

The action was successful, and greatly inspirited our troops, 
but the two brave leaders, Knowlton and Leitch, fell early in 
the conflict. Our loss was four or five killed, and'lbrty wound- 
ed; that of the British more than twenty killed, and seventy- 
eight wounded. 

Description of the city. Streets, squares, &c. The city 
covers the whole island. The portion which is densely built, 
lies south of Twenty-third street, being about three miles in 
length, and varying in breadth, from half a mile, to two and a 
quarter miles. In this territory, there are over 350 streets, and 
on the island more than 480. 

There are a number of public squares, but not so many as the 
dense population requires. The principal are ; 1st, the Battery, 
a crescent shaped park, containing about eleven acres, with 
gravelled walks, and grass plats, well shaded with trees. It 
affords a fine view of the shipping. Castle Clinton, connected 
with it by a bridge, has been transformed into a garden and am- 
phitheatre, capable of containing 10,000 persons. 

2d. The Bowling Green is a small ellipse, enclosed by an iron 
fence, having a fine public fountain, which is made to fall over 
a rude pile of rocks. 

3d. The Park is a triangular area, of about eleven acres, laid 
out with walks, planted with trees, and surrounded by a massive 
iron fence. It contains a number of public buildings. In the 
southern angle, is a magnificent fountain, playing within a basin 
100 feet in diameter. 

4th. Washington Square, or the Parade Ground, contains not 
quite ten acres. It is neatly laid out and finely shaded. 

5th. Union Place is an elliptical area, of considerable extent, 
at the northern termination of Broadway, adorned with trees 
and a fine fountain. 



NEW YORK COUNTY. 147 

Tompkins Square, and Bellevue, in the eastern part of the 
city, are places of considerable resort. The latter contains the 
new almshouse. 

Hudson Square, or St. John's Park, belonging to Trinity 
church, is a beautiful park of four acres, highly ornamented, and 
has a fountain. In the upper part of the city, several squares 
are reserved, but not yet regulated. 

Public Buildings. Many of these are among the finest 
models of architecture in the country. 

The City Hall, already referred to, located in the Park, is a 
magnificent structure, and shows to great advantage. It is 216 
feet long, and 105 wide. 

Its architecture is Grecian, the successive stories being Ionic, Corinthian, and 
Composite. The front and ends are of white marble, and the rear of brown free 
stone. From the centre rises a lofty cupola, which overlooks the whole city, 
where a watchman is stationed, to give the alarm of fire. It contains elegant 
rooms for the Governor, the Common Council, and the Superior Court, besides 
numerous offices. Its cost exceeded half a million of dollars. 

The Merchant's Exchange, in Wall street, is one of the most 
imposing and costly structures, on the American continent. It 
is built of blue Q,nincy granite, and is absolutely incombustible. 
Its length is 200 feet, width 144, and height seventy-seven feet, 
to the top of the cornice, and 124, to the top of the dome. 

On the Wall street front is a recessed portico of eighteen massive columns, each 
of a single block of granite, thirty-eight feet high, four feet four inches in diameter, 
and weighing about forty-three tons. The exchange or rotunda in the centre, is 
capable of holding 3,000 persons, being, including the recesses, 100 feet in diame- 
ter, and eighty-seven feet high to the top of the dome. The dome rests on eight 
Corinthian columns, of polished Italian marble, each forty-one feet high, and four 
feet eight inches in diameter. The cost of the building is estimated at $1,800,000. 

The Custom House, extending from Wall to Pine streets, is 
a magnificent Doric building, of white marble, after the model 
of the Parthenon, at Athens. 

Brick, granite and marble, are its only materials. It has a portico on each 
front, of eight Doric columns, five feet eight inches in diameter, and thirty-two feet 
high. The great business hall, is a circular room, surmounted by a dome, that is 
supported by sixteen Corinthian pillars, each thirty feet high. The cost of the 
building, including the ground, was $1,175,000. The number of officers employed 
here, is 354. 

The Hall of Justice, on Centre street, is a massive structure, 
of Hallowell granite, in the Egyptian style of. architecture, of 
which it is an admirable specimen. 

Its gloomy and heavy aspect, however, have acquired for it the title of " the 
Egyptian tombs." Beside rooms for the Police, and other courts of the city, it 
includes the House of Detention, or prison, containing 148 cells. 

Churches. Trinity church, completed in 1846, is one of the 
most costly and magnificent churches in America. It is con- 
structed of brown sandstone, in the perpendicular Gothic style. 
Its spire is 283 feet in height, and is of stone throughout. 



148 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

The length of the building is 192 feet, and its breadth eighty- 
four. 

Grace church, on Broadway, two and a half miles north oC 
Trinity, is a Gothic structure, of rare beauty, erected in 1845, 

St. John's church, on Varick street, is one of the finest pro- 
portioned churches in the city, It cost $200,000, and has a 
steeple 220 feet in height. 

St. Thomas' church, in Broadway, the church of the Ascen- 
sion, and the church of the Transfiguration, in the upper part 
of the city, are also fine edifices. The Dutch Reformed church 
on Washington square, and that in Lafayette place, are good 
specimens of church architecture, the lormer in the Gothic, and 
the latter in the Grecian style. 

The Scotch Presbyterian church, in Grand street, is a hand" 
some edifice of the Ionic order, with a portico of six massive 
columns. It cost $114,000. 

The Rutger's street church, and the Duane street church, 
are both well proportioned, and imposing buildings, The Beek- 
man street church has a lofty and elegant steeple. The Roman 
Catholic church, in Barclay street, is a substantial granite 
structure. 

The Roman Catholic Cathedral, in Prince street, is a very 
large edifice of sandstone. The French Protestant church, in 
Franklin street, is built of white marble. It is of the Ionic order, 
The first Baptist church, in Broome street, is a fine Gothic 
edifice, with a very imposing interior. 

The.Chapel of the New York University, (usually occupied on 
the Sabbath, as a place of worship,) is one of the most perfect 
specimens of Gothic architecture, ever erected in this country. 

Hotels. The Astor House is an immense granite building, 
with three fronts, one on Broadway, of 201 feet, another on 
Barclay street, of 154 feet, and the third on Vesey street, of 
146§ feet, and cost about $800,000. It contains 303 rooms. 
The United States Hotel is a fine marble building, seven stories 
high, containing 225 rooms, and cost $350,000. 

The Franklin House, Howard's Hotel, Judson's, Rathbone's, 
the City, Croton, Carlton, the Pearl street House, and many 
others, are extensive and elegant buildings, furnishing ample 
accommodation, for the thousands who visit the city, for busi- 
ness, or pleasure. 

Railroads, &c, Three lines of Railroads connect directly 
with New York city : viz. the Harlaem railroad, now progress- 
ing rapidly towards Albany ; the Long Island Railroad, extend- 
ing from Brooklyn to Greenport, and the New Jersey, extend- 
ing to Philadelphia, and forming a part of the great chain 
connecting with Wilmington, North Carolina, This road has 



NEW YORK COUNTY. 149 

several branches ; one to Morristown, and another to Patterson, 
New Jersey. 

Besides these, there are three others, connecting, by steam- 
boats, with the city, and at no great distance from it. These 
are the New York and Erie railroad, commencing at Piermont ; 
the Camden and Amboy, commencing at Amboy, New Jersey, 
and the Housatonic, at Bridgeport, Conn. 

Lines of steamboats, also, ply between this city and Albany, 
Troy, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Hudson, Catskill, and other 
places on the Hudson river : Norwalk, New Haven, Hartford, 
Norwich, Stonington and Providence, Newark, New Bruns- 
wick, Elizabethtown, &c. as well as to the several small villa- 
ges on Long Island, and Staten Island. 

Steamers als:> leave for England, every month, and lines of 
packets, for London, Liverpool, Havre, New Orleans, Mobile, 
and Havana, every week. 

Water Works. The Croton Water Works deserve to be 
considered as one of the most magnificent enterprises of modern 
times. The water is brought from the Croton river, a stream 
in Westchester county. 

A dam 250 feet long, seventy feet wide at bottom, and seven at top, and forty 
feet high, has been constructed, creating a pond five miles long. From this dam, 
the aqueduct proceeds, through hills and over valleys, to the Harlaem river, which 
it crosses on a massive stone bridge, 1450 feet long, erected at a cost of $900,000 ; 
thence it crosses several streets, and follows the tenth Avenue down, from 151st 
street to 107th street; here crossing a square, it follows the 9th Avenue, to 88th 
street, where it curves and enters the receiving reservoir, in 85th street. 

The aqueduct is a hollow cylinder of brick, laid in hydraulic cement. The re- 
ceiving reservoir is thirty-eight miles from the Croton dam. It covers thirty-five 
acres, and will contain 150 millions of gallons. From this reservoir the water is 
conducted in iron pipes, along the 5th Avenue, to the distributing reservoir, on 
Murray Hill, in Fortieth street. 

This reservoir covers four acres, is constructed of stone and cement, is forty- 
three feet high from the street, and contains twenty millions of gallons. From it, 
the water is distributed over the city, in iron pipes, laid so deep under ground, as 
to be secure from the frost. The supply of water is ample, both for the use of the 
inhabitants, and for fires. There are 1400 fire hydrants, and 600 free hydrants. 
No city in the world is bet'er supplied, with pure and wholesome water, than New 
York. 

Public Institutions of the city. The American Institute 
was incorporated in 1829, for the encouragement of agriculture, 
manufactures, commerce and the arts. 

It has a suite of rooms in the second story of the New City Hall, where it has a 
library, models for machinery, &c. It holds an annual fair, every autumn, which 
is visited by not less than 20,000 persons. 

The Mechanics' Institute has for its object, the instruction of 
mechanics and others, in science, and the arts. 

The Institute has established annual courses of popular lectures, and has a 
library, reading room, museum, and collection of chemical and philosophical appar- 
atus. A male and a female school have been established, under the superintend- 



150 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

enceofits board, the former in 1838, the latter in 1839; both of which, have 
been eminently successful. 

The American Art Union is an incorporated association, for 
the promotion of the fine arts* Its rooms are at 322 Broadway. 
The Chamber of Commerce was established for the regulation 
of trade, &c. in 1768. 

Scientific Societies. The most important of these are the 
Lyceum of Natural History, founded in IS 18, for the advance- 
ment of knowledge in Zoology, Botany, Mineralogy, Geology, 
and Conchology ; 

It has a large library, and extensive and valuable collections, in every depart- 
ment of natural history, which are all arranged for gratuitous exhibition, at its 
rooms No. 659, Broadway. 

The New York Historical Society, occupying rooms in the 
University building; its library is a very valuable one, of over 
12,000 volumes ; besides a collection of coins and medals. 

The Ethnological Society, founded in 1842, for4nvestigations 
in history, languages, geography, &c. ; 

The New York Medical Society comprising the great body of 
the educated physicians of the city ; its object is improvement 
in medical science. 

The National Academy of Design, established for the benefit 
of living artists. They annually exhibit a large collection of 
paintings. 

Libraries. The New York Society Library was established 
in 1754. It has a fine building on Broadway, and a library of 
40,000 volumes. 

The Mercantile Library Association has a fine suite of rooms 
in Clinton Hall, a library of more than 21,000 volumes, and an 
elegant reading room. 

The Apprentices Library at 32 Crosby street, contains 12,000 
well selected volumes. 

The New York Law Institute Library was established in 
1828, and has a valuable library of about 3500 volumes of select 
law books. 

Benevolent Institutions. Hospitals. There are two hos- 
pitals in the city. The New York Hospital, founded by sub- 
scription, in 1769, is a noble institution. It has extensive build- 
ings and grounds, and good accommodations for 250 patients. 
It has ten visiting, and as many consulting physicians. 

The City Hospital, at Bellevue, is supported by the Municipal 
government of the city. It has accommodations for between 
200 and 300 inmates, and is under the management of a physi- 
cian, and several assistants. 

The City Dispensary affords aid to about 20,000 indigent pa- 
tients annually. The Northern and Eastern Dispensaries ad- 



NEW YORK COUNTY. 151 

minister relief to from 5000 to 10,000 each. The New York 
Eye Infirmary treats over 1000 indigent patients, for diseases of 
the eye. The Bloomingdale Lunatic Asylum, located at Bloom- 
ingdale, has about 200 patients. It is connected with the New 
York Hospital. 

The City Lunatic Asylum, on Blackwell's Island, has from 
300 to 400 indigent patients. There is also a Lunatic Asylum 
on Murray's Hill, Fortieth street. The Institution for the Blind, 
on the ninth Avenue, has about sixty pupils. 

The Deaf and Dumb Asylum, on Fiftieth street, has a princi- 
pal, eight professors, and not far from 150 pupils. Its buildings 
are large and commodious. 

There are also six Orphan Asylums in the city, and several 
institutions for aged and indigent females. 

Societies are also founded, for the protection and benefit of 
emigrants, who throng, in such vast numbers, to the city. 

From its central position, and intimate connexion with other 
sections of the country, New York city has been made the head 
quarters, of numerous benevolent institutions, whose measures 
are intended to benefit the whole country. The most prominent 
of these are the American Bible Society, the American and 
Foreign Bible Society, the Methodist Book concern, the Amer- 
ican Tract Society, the Home and Domestic Mission Societies, 
the Seaman's Friend Society, the Society for ameliorating the 
condition of the Jews, the American Temperance Union, the 
Moral Reform Society, the American, and the American and 
Foreign Anti-Slavery Societies, the American, and the Ameri- 
can Baptist Home Mission Societies, &c. &c. 

Places of Amusement. These are numerous. Beside two 
museums, each containing extensive collections of curiosities, 
there are several public gardens, where there are frequent ex- 
hibitions, picture galleries, four large, and two or three lesser 
theatres, &c. &c. 

Government and Political divisions of the city. For the 
purposes of government and police, the city is divided into 
eighteen wards, each of which elects, annually, an alderman 
and assistant alderman, who, together, form the Common 
Council, and with the Mayor, administer the government of the 
city. 

The police of the city, whose duty it is to preserve order, ar- 
rest criminals, prevent riots, felonies, and other misdemeanors, 
give alarm of fires, &c, are 800 in number, and are distributed 
through the wards, according to their population. 

In each ward is a station house, and the police force of the ward, are under 
the control of a captain of police, and two assistants. There are six police jus- 
tices, who hold courts, in three different sections of the city. The whole police 
force, is under the direction of a chief of police, whose rooms are in the new 
City Hall in the Park. 



152 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Business of Particular Streets. Wall street has become 
the great rendezvous of bankers and brokers. Pearl street, of 
wholesale dry goods dealers. South street, of wholesale flour 
and produce dealers. Chatham street, of dealers in clothing. 
Broadway is a fashionable promenade ; and the Bowery, Grand, 
and Canal streets, contain most of the retail stores. 

Stores, &c. There are in the city, 1981 wholesale, and 
about 4000 retail, dry goods stores, employing a capital of more 
than sixty millions of dollars. There are twenty-seven banks, 
with an aggregate capital of $25,563,600, besides four saving 
banks. 

There are sixty -seven fire and marine insurance companies, 
of which twenty-two are on the mutual principle. The remain- 
der have a capital of about fourteen millions of dollars. There 
are twelve life insurance companies, four of them on the mutual 
principle, the remainder have a capital of $19,000,000. There 
were, in 1846, 106 hotels and coffee houses. 

Such is an imperfect view of the great commercial metropolis of our country. 
Her growth, thus far, has outstripped the expectations, and predictions of the 
most sanguine ; and judging of the future by the past, we are compelled to believe, 
that ere the close of the present century, she will be, in population and commer- 
cial importance, what London now is. 

Her resources are unequalled, and her capacity for accommodating and sup- 
porting an immense population, unsurpassed ; and when the cities of the old world 
have sunk to decay, New York, fulfilling the promise of her youth, will flourish, 
queen of cities, and mart of the world. 



LONG ISLAND. 

Square miles, 1448. Population, 145,119. 

Long Island forms so distinct a portion of the state, that it 
merits a distinct description. It extends from 40° 34' to 41° 10' 
north latitude, and from 2° 58' to 5° 3' east longitude. It is 
140 miles long, with an average breadth of 12 or 15 miles. 

Surface. A chain of low hills divides it centrally, north of 
which, the country is rough and broken, but south of it, is al- 
most a perfect plain, apparently produced by the washing up 
of the sand from the ocean. This surface is somewhat sterile, 
but produces heavy pine timber. 

Rivers, Bays, &c. There are few streams worthy of note, 
on the island, although as a whole, it is well watered. The Pe- 
conic, Connecticut, and Nissiquogue, are the only ones of im- 
portance. 

Its bays are numerous. On the southern coast, the Great 
South bay extends from Hempstead to Brookhaven, a distance 
of more than 70 miles. It is from two to five miles wide, and is 



LONG ISLND. 153 

separated from the ocean, by a beach of sand, varying in width 
from a few rods to half a mile, broken only by a few narrow in- 
lets, which are constantly changing in depth, with the action of 
the waves. 

At the eastern extremity of the island, the Great Peconicbay 
has divided it into two peninsulas, of unequal length. Gardiner's 
bay, between Shelter and Gardiner's island, furnishes a fine 
and commodious harbor. 

Smithtown bay, on the northern shore, is an open roadstead, 
of no great depth of water, and unprotected from the winds, 
by projecting headlands. Huntington bay is smaller, but af- 
fords a fine harbor. Hempstead harbor, New York harbor, 
and Jamaica bay, are the only other bays worthy of notice. 

Lakes. There are numerous small lakes, or ponds, scattered 
over thejsurface of the island, some of them at short distances 
from the shore. They are very uniform in their height and 
temperature, being seldom frozen in winter, and maintaining a 
most delicious coolness in summer. Ronkonkama, Great Pond, 
Fort Pond, and Success or Sacut Pond, are the principal. 

Islands. A number of islands adjacent to Long Island, are 
included in its territories. Of these, Shelter, Gardiner's, Plum, 
Robbin's and Fisher's islands, toward the eastern extremity, 
and Riker's, Coney, Barren, &c, at the southwestern, are the 
principal. A part of these are inhabited. 

Railroad. The Long Island railroad traverses the whole 
length of the island, and furnishes to its inhabitants easy and 
speedy access to New York city. 

History. Previous to its discovery and settlement by the 
whites, Long Island seems to have been densely populated by 
Indians. 

Historians have enumerated the names of fourteen or fifteen tribes, of which 
the principal were the Canarsee, Rockaway, Merikoke, Marsapeague, Secatogue, 
and Patchogue tribes on the south side ; the Matinecock, Nissaquogue, Setauket, 
and Corchaug, on the north side ; and the Shinecock, Manhasset, and Montauk, 
from the Canoe Place to Montauk Point. Of these tribes, the Canarsee were sub- 
ject to the Iroquois ; the others were tributaries to the Montauks, whose sachem, 
Wyandanch, was regarded as the grand sachem of the island. The Pequots, 
however, had crossed over from the northern shore of the sound, and levied a 
heavy tribute on these tribes ; and after that warlike people were subdued by the 
English, the Long Island Indians paid tribute to the English, and sought their 
alliance and protection. 

The division of the Island, between the Dutch and English, 
was long a bone of contention. At length, by the treaty of 
Hartford, made in 1650, it was settled that the English should 
hold all of the island east of Oyster bay, and that the remainder 
should belong to the Dutch. After this date, the eastern part 
of the island was under the government of Connecticut, till 1664, 
when the Duke of York claimed it as a part of his patent. 



154 



STATE OF NEW YORK. 



III. KINGS COUNTY. 



Square miles, 76. 
Organized, 1683. 



Population, 78,691. 

Valuation in 1845, $30,750,472. 




TOWNS. 

1. Brooklyn, 1788. 3. New Utrecht, 17SS. 5. Flatlands, 1788. 

2. Gravesend, 17S8. 4. Flatbush, 17S8. G. Bushwick, 17S8. 
Rivers, &c. B. East River. E. Atlantic Ocean, r. Jamaica Bay. 

i. Wallabout Bay. 
Bays, &c. A. New York Bay. a. Narrows, d. Coney Island. 
Forts. Hamilton. Lafayette. 
Battle Fields. Battle of Long Island. 
Cities and Villages. Brooklyn, Flatbush, Wiiliamsburgh. 

Boundaries. North by East river, and New York harbor; 
East by Queens county ; South by the Atlantic ; West by New 
York bay, and the Narrows. 

Surface. On the northeast, for three or four miles back 
from the East river, it is hilly. Erooklyn Heights forms the 



KINGS COUNTY. 155 

termination of the ridge, which runs through the island. On the 
southeast, a sandy plain extends to the ocean. 

Rivers, &c. There are no streams of importance. The 
chief bays, or indentations of the coast, are Gravesend bay, 
Gowanus cove, and the Wallabout bay. Plumb inlet, and 
Rockaway inlet, on the south, communicate with several ponds 
in the interior. 

Geology and Mineralogy. A considerable portion of the 
formation of the county is alluvial. The northern portion is 
granite. Large boulders are found scattered over this, and the 
adjoining counties. They are mostly granitic. 

The principal minerals are hematitic iron ore, iron pyrites, lignite, porcelain 
clay, magnetic iron sand, and garnet sand. There is also some peat, and a few 
fossils. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil of this county 
is possessed of greater natural fertility, than that of the other por- 
tions of the Island, and it is highly cultivated. It is well adapt- 
ed to horticulture, and fruits and flowers arrive at great perfec- 
tion. The grape is extensively cultivated, throughout the 
county. Little timber is found. 

Pursuits. Manufactures are the pursuit of a majority of the 
inhabitants. The principal articles are distilled liquors, (to the 
amount of $1,680,000,) cordage, iron ware, oils, flour, oilcloths, 
leather, glass, ale, &c. 

Agriculture, and particularly horticulture, receive considera- 
ble attention. Corn, oats, butter, potatoes, fruit, and market 
vegetables, are produced in large quantities. 

Its commerce is large, but being included under the reports 
for New York city, it is difficult to ascertain its amount with 
accuracy. 

Schools. There are twenty-four public schoolhouses in 
the county, in which schools were taught, the whole twelve 
months, in the year 1845. During that year, 8891 children 
received instruction, at an expense of $17,095, for teachers 
wages. The libraries contained about 13,000 volumes. 

The school organization of the city of Brooklyn has been already described, (see 
page 126.) 

There are also ninety-nine select schools, containing 3516 pupils; one acade- 
my, and two female seminaries, with 150 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Dutch Reformed, 
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Con- 
gregationalists, Universalists, Unitarians, and Friends. Num- 
ber of churches, 75, of clergymen, 85. 

History. The first settlement, in this county, was made by 
a small party of Walloons, or Waaloons, from the borders of 
France, in 1625, on the shores of Wallabout bay, (called from 
them Waalebocht or the bay of the Walloons.) 



156 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Here, on the 17th of June, 1625, Sarah, eldest daughter of George Jansen de 
Rapalje, was born. She was the first child of white parents born within the limits 
of the state of New York.* 

Within the succeeding thirty years, settlements had been made 
in Brooklyn, Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, New Utrecht, 
and Bushwick.f 

Gravesend was settled by English emigrants, who fled from persecution in New 
England. Of these, the most distinguished was the Lady Moody, and her son, 
Sir Henry Moody. 

These towns were each organized under a separate govern- 
ment, administered by an officer, or officers, appointed by the 
Director General. 

None of them enjoyed any thing like a representative government, and in the 
days of Governor StuyVesant, any attempt on their part, to claim a share in its 
administration, was frowned down, with the utmost severity. After New York 
fell into the hands of the English, they were allowed to participate in the imper- 
fect representative government of that period. 

During the early part of the Revolution, Kings county was 
the scene of many interesting incidents. Here occurred, on the 
27th August, 1776, the battle of Long Island, which threw such 
gloom upon the rising hopes of our countrymen, in the outset 
of the revolutionary struggle. 

The British ministry, determined, if possible, to close the war 
by a single blow, had concentrated a large force in the neigh- 
borhood of New York, well equipped, and furnished with all the 
munitions of war. 

Congress had assembled a force of near 27,000 men upon Long 
Island, but they were undisciplined militia. More than one- 
fourth of them were invalids, and the remainder but scantily 
supplied with guns and ammunition. 

On the 22d of August, the British fleet approached the Nar- 
rows, and landed the troops at Gravesend and New Utrecht, 
without resistance. 

Dividing here, into three sections, under the guidance of in- 
habitants of these and other towns, who loved the gold of the 
British, more than their own country, they proceeded, by three 
distinct routes, to invest the American camp, which lay princi- 
pally on Brooklyn heights. 

* There is a tradition extant, that during the infancy of this Sarah Rapalje, Min- 
uit, the Dutch Governor, being on a hunting excursion, with some associates, 
near the Wallabout bay. entered the cabin of Rapalje. to find something to satisfy 
his hunger. Finding no one at home, and no food, except an Indian dumpling, 
they devoured that, when the wile of Rapalje, with her infant in her arms, en- 
tered, and berated them soundly for their intrusion, and particularly, for devour- 
ing the food she had reserved for her infant. The Governor, to appease her an- 
ger , promised her a milch cow, on the arrival of the ships from Holland, as a com- 
pensation for her dumpling. On their arrival, in addition to the cow, he gave her 
twenty morgen, (nearly forty acres,) of land, for pasturage for her cow. 

f These towns were named by the Dutch, Breukelen, Midwout, Amersfoort, 
Gravenzande, Nieuw Utrecht, and Boswyck. 



KINGS COUNTY. 157 

One division of the British army took the road leadimr along 
near the Narrows, another, that passing through the village of 
Flatbush, and the third passed by the way of Flatlands. 

Descending, on the morning of the 27th, to the village of Bed- 
ford, General Clinton, who commanded one wing of the British 
army, carried an important point, and an attack was made on 
the three sides of the camp at once. Suitable precautions seem 
not to have been taken, by the American officers, to avoid sur- 
prise, and although, when thus surrounded, they fought bravely, 
defeat was inevitable. 

Attempting to retreat, they were driven upon the enemy's 
forces on every side, and those who fought were slain, while 
those who attempted to fly were made prisoners. 

The loss of the Americans was variously estimated at from 
1100 to 3300, in killed, wounded, and prisoners. The British 
loss was less than 400. On the night of the 29th, General 
Washington silently drew off his troops to New York, and from 
this time till the close of the war, Kings county was in the 
hands of the British. 

The prison ships, in which the American prisoners of war were confined, 
during the revolution, were stationed in Wallabout bay. In these ships, nearly 
11,000 American citizens perished, from disease and starvation, through the in- 
humanity of the British officers who had charge of them. 

They were crowded into these ships in such numbers that to obtain fresh air 
was impossible ; robbed of their clothing, fed upon the most loathsome and putrid 
provisions, and scantily supplied even with these, allowed no drink but the most 
fetid bilge water, and when sick unattended by either physician or nurse. 

Yet, amid the horrors of such a condition, the most distressing of which it is 
possible for the human mind to conceive, our noble countrymen preferred death, 
with all its horrors, to a traitor's life, with plenty ; and very few of them could be 
persuaded to enlist in the British army, although they were assured that they 
should be amply provided with food, and suitable clothing. Their heroism, and 
the brutal inhumanity of their jailors, should go down to the latest posterity. 

Cities, Villages, &c. Brooklyn city, the seat of justice for 
Kings county, is situated at the west end of Long Island, direct- 
ly opposite the lower portion of New York city. Its location is 
a commanding and delightful one, and its growth, within a few 
years past, has been rapid, beyond precedent in the state. 

It is the residence of very many of the business men of New York city, who 
prefer its pure air. and quiet streets, to the more crowded and bustling squares of 
the great metropolis. It is remarkable for the neatness and taste displayed in 
ita private residences. 

The city has a number of literary and scientific institutions of 
a high order. The principal of these are the Brooklyn Insti- 
tute, formed by the union of the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library 
Association, the Brooklyn Lyceum, and the City Library; this 
institution has a large library, and is in a highly flourishing 
condition; the Lyceum of Natural History, which is engaged 
with commendable zeal, in the investigation of the physica 
8 



158 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

sciences ; the Hamilton Literary Association, and the Franklin 
Literary Association, both composed of young men desirous of 
improvement. There are also several academies and female 
seminaries of distinction. 

The United States Government have a navy yard at Walla- 
bout bay, covering forty acres of ground, and well provided with 
all the necessaries, for the construction of the largest ships of 
the line. They are constructing a dry dock here, at an immense 
expense. Connected with the yard, is a Naval Lyceum, com- 
posed of officers of the United States navy, and possessing a 
large library and museum. 

The Greenwood Cemetery, situated in the south part of the 
city, contains more than 200 acres of land. Its situation is de- 
lightful, and comprises every variety of surface, which is calcu- 
lated to make it attractive, as a place of repose for the dead. 

The harbor of the city is extensive, and its depth sufficient to 
allow the largest vessels to come to its wharves. The Atlantic 
dock, now in progress of construction, is a stupendous work, and 
one of the most remarkable monuments of private enterprise 
and wealth, in the country. Population, 62,000. 

Williamsburgh, taken from Bush wick, and organized as a 
distinct town in 1840, is favorably situated for business, and 
from its proximity to New York, has had a rapid growth. It is 
the residence of many of the business men of the metropolis, and 
is fast increasing in population and wealth. It is connected with 
New York by three steam ferries. Population, about 12,000. 

Flatbush, in the town of the same name, is a pleasant though 
small village. Erasmus Hall, located here, and incorporated 
in 1787, is one of the oldest and most ably conducted academies 
in the state. The battle of Long Island was fought mostly 
within the limits of this town. 



IV. QUEENS COUNTY. 



F-'quare miles, 396. 
Organized, 1683. 



Population, 31,849. 
Valuation, 1845, $11,568,350. 




TOWNS. 

4. Newtown, 1783. 

2. Hempstead. 1788. 5. North Hempstead, 1783. 

3. Jamaica, 1758. 6. Oyster Bay, 1788. 

Rivers, 8{c. D. Long Island Sound. E. Atlantic Ocean. B. East 

River. 
Bays. j. Oyster Bay, r. Jamaica Bay. k. Flushing Bay. 1. Cow 

Bay. 
Villages. North Hempstead, Flushing, Jamaica, Newtown. 

Boundaries. North by Long Island sound and the East 
river ; East by Suffolk county ; South by the Atlantic Ocean, 
and West by Kings county. 

Surface. The northern portion of this county is rolling, but 
with no high hills. Harbor Hill, the highest elevation in the 
county, is 319 feet above the ocean. The great Hempstead 
plain extends through the central portion of the county. 



160 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Rivers, &c. The county is well watered, but none of the 
streams are of considerable size. 

Bays and Harbors. These are numerous, both on the 
northern and southern coasts. The principal on the north, are 
Flushing, Hempstead, Little Neck, Cow, Oyster, and Cold 
Spring, bays. On the south, are Jamaica, Rockaway, and part 
of the Great South bay. 

These bays abound with a great variety of fish, oysters, &c, and at certain 
seasons, large numbers of wild fowl congregate here, the taking of which affords 
ample amusement to the sportsman. 

Islands. Riker's island, on the northern coast, Hog island, 
Cow island, and several others in Jamaica bay, on the south- 
ern, are the principal. 

Ponds. Success, or Sacut pond, in Flushing, is the only one 
worthy of special notice. 

This pond is very deep, and its waters of remarkable purity and coldness. 
Perch are very abundant in it. They were first put into its waters by Doctor 
Samuel L. Mitchell. 

Climate. Like that of the Island generally, it is mild, equa- 
ble and healthy. The seasons are early, and the frosts occur 
late in autumn; consequently, fruits attain great perfection. 

Geology and Minerals. The geological character of the 
county alluvial and diluvial, the boulders are mostly granitic. In 
the southern portion of the county, there are no rocks, nor even 
stones, of more than a few ounces weight. There are few min- 
erals of importance. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil of the northern 
portion is very fertile, and perhaps under as high cultivation as 
that of any other part of the state. The southern part is sandy 
and naturally sterile, but by judicious management, it has 
been made to produce tolerable crops. 

The timber is principally oak, hickory, chestnut, and locust in 
great abundance. The latter was originally introduced from 
Virginia. In the northern part, the apple, pear, peach, cherry, 
&c, thrive well. Wheat, corn, and grass, are also favorite 
crops. 

Pursuits. Agriculture and horticulture are prominent pur- 
suits of the inhabitants of this county. Large quantities of 
corn and oats are raised. Butter, pork, and wool are produced 
in abundance. Shrubs, fruit trees, and rare exotic plants are 
sent from the numerous gardens and nurseries in the county, to 
all parts of the Union. 

Fishing, and fowling, are also the employments of many of the 
inhabitants. Manufactures are not extensive. The most con- 
siderable are flour, woollen cloths, distilled liquors, and leather. 



QUEENS COUNTY. 161 

The commerce of the county is confined to the coasting trade, 
and carried on through the ports of Flushing, Glen's Cove, Oys- 
ter Bay, and Cold Spring. Steamers ply between New York, 
and Flushing, Glen's cove, and Rockaway. 

Staple Productions. Corn, oats, butter, wool, fruit trees, 
and flowers. 

Schools. The county has seventy public schoolhouses, in 
which schools were taught, in 1846, an average period of ten 
months. In them 4960 children received instruction, at an ex- 
pense of $15,346. The school libraries contained 13,803 vol- 
umes. 

Beside these there were thirty-six private schools, with 708 pupils, four acad- 
emies and three female seminaries, with 272 pupils. One of these is a collegiate 
school, of a high order. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Episcopalians, Bap- 
tists, Friends, Dutch Reformed, Presbyterians, and Roman 
Catholics. Total number of churches, 59, of clergymen, 43. 

History. The first settlement made in this county, was at 
Hempstead, by a company of emigrants from Stamford, Conn., 
in 1644. This company acknowledged the Dutch jurisdiction, 
and obtained a patent from Governor Kieft. The place was 
first called Hemsteede. 

In the spring of 1645, a company of Englishmen who had 
previously resided in Vlissingen, in Holland, emigrated to this 
country, and locating themselves in Queens county, founded 
the town of Flushing, called by them Vlissingen. They, too, 
obtained a patent, from Governor Kieft, for their lands. Be- 
tween this period and 1656, settlements were commenced at 
Oyster bay, Newtown, and Jamaica. 

A considerable number of Friends having settled in Vlissin- 
gen, Governor Stuyvesant, animated by the spirit of intolerance 
so prevalent at that day, issued an order requiring the people 
of the town to cease giving them any countenance, or enter- 
taining them. 

To this order, the people of that town sent a dignified remon- 
strance. Gov. Stuyvesant, however, persisted in his intolerant 
measures, inflicting heavy fines, protracted imprisonment, and 
severe corporeal punishment, on those who professed the Qua- 
ker faith, as well as upon all who assisted or sheltered them. 
Some thirteen or fourteen prominent individuals were thus 
made to feel the weight of his displeasure. 

One of the sufferers, having manifested more firmness than 
the rest, in the avowal of his sentiments, was sent by the Gov- 
ernor, a prisoner in chains, to Amsterdam. He was liberated 
from confinement, and sent back by the West India Company, 
and made the bearer of a letter from the company to the perse- 



162 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

cuting Governor, which, for the noble sentiments, in regard to 
religious liberty, which it avows, deserves to be written in letters 
of gold. 

But the intolerant spirit of the Dutch governor did not stop 
here. The Lutherans also fell under the ban of his displeasure, 
and he banished them from the colony. 

This bigotry did much toward rendering the people dissatisfied with the sway 
of the director, and but for the incursion of the English, in 1664, they wo id, in 
all probabilty, have thrown off their allegiance, by a civil revolution. In the ex- 
change of masters, however, there was little else than an exchange of tyrants. 
Religious intolerance still prevailed, under a new form. 

In 1702, Lord Cornbury, having taken refuge in Jamaica, 
from yellow fever, (at that time epidemic in New York city), 
occupied the residence of Rev. Mr. Hubbard, the Presbyterian 
minister of the place, which was courteously tendered him, by 
its occupant, as the best dwelling in the village. 

With characteristic ingratitude, he dispossessed this clergy- 
man of his pulpit, in which he placed an Episcopal minister, 
whom, on his return to New York city, he ordered to occupy 
Mr. Hubbard's parsonage. Twenty-six years elapsed, before 
the Presbyterians were able to recover possession of their 
church edifice. 

In 1707, Lord Cornbury imprisoned two Presbyterian clergy- 
men, in this county, for preaching without his license, and finally 
liberated them, on the payment of a fine of $500. 

During the Revolution, a majority of the inhabitants of this 
county took the oath of allegiance to Great Britain. British 
troops were stationed in different portions of the county, and 
the people were obliged to furnish them with large quantities of 
wood and provisions. 

There were many, however, whose hearts beat with true loyalty to the cause 
of their country, and who rejoiced, when she succeeded in throwing off the yoke 
of foreign oppression. 

It was rather, perhaps, the misfortune than the fault of the people of this 
county, that, exposed as they were, without defence, to the hostile power of the 
enemy, they yielded to a force they could not oppose. 

Yet this was made a subject of reproach to them, and in 1784, a tax of 
£100,000 was levied upon the southern district, to be appropriated, as a com- 
pensation, to the other parts of the state, on account of their not having been 
able to take an active part in the war ; and Queens county, in addition to her se- 
vere losses from the British, was obliged to atone for her own misfortunes. 

Villages. North Hempstead, the seat of justice for the 
county, is situated near the southern boundary of the town of 
the same name. It is an inconsiderable village, and was se- 
lected for the county seat, from its being the geographical cen- 
tre of the county. 

Flushing village, in the town of Flushing, situated at the head 
of the bay of the same name, is one of the most beautiful villa- 
ges in the state. It is a favorite summer residence of merchants 



QUEENS COUNTY. 163 

and others, from the city of New York, and has many noble 
villas and country seats. Population 2500. 

Its schools are highly celebrated. St. Ann's Hall, a female sem- 
inary of a high order, St. Thomas' Hall, and St. Paul's college, 
about three miles from the village, a collegiate school for boys, 
are among the most distinguished. These schools are under 
the direction of the Episcopalians. The Friends have also a 
flourishing seminary, and there are several well conducted select 
schools. 

The nurseries and botanic gardens here, have long held the 
first rank in our country. The Linnean Botanic garden was 
established, by Mr. Prince, in 1750, and still maintains a high 
reputation, while the new nursery of the Messrs. Prince, the 
Bloodgood nursery, the Commercial garden and nursery, and 
the Floral and Pomological nursery, contend with it for the palm. 

In this town is still standing the Bowne mansion, where the celebrated George 
Fox, the apostle of the Friends, spent much of his time. Near it stands the an- 
cient and venerable oak, under the canopy of which he proclaimed his views, 
with an eloquence which won many hearts. 

Jamaica village, in the town of that name, is situated on the 
line of the Long Island railroad, twelve miles east from the city 
of Brooklyn. It is a beautiful village, with many facilities for 
intercourse with the adjacent towns. The railroad company 
have here a large manufactory, for the construction and repair 
of their cars. It also contains Union Hall academy, an old and 
flourishing institution, a female seminary of some reputation, 
and several select schools. The Union race course is within 
the limits of this town. Population about 2000. 

Hempstead village is delightfully situated, on the southern 
margin of the great Hempstead plain, in the town of the same 
name. For beauty and salubrity, it has few equals. The 
Hempstead seminary has a fine and costly edifice, and is in a 
flourishing condition. The village is a favorite summer resort. 
Population about 1800. 

There are several other villages in the town. Rockaway 
beach, or Far Rockaway, is a headland projecting from the 
southern shore of the town, on which the restless surges of the 
ocean beat, with ceaseless vehemence. 

Near Rockaway is a pleasant and thriving little village. 
Near the Methodist church, stands a marble monument erected 
to the memory of 139 unfortunate emigrants, whose bodies were 
washed ashore from the wrecks of the ships Bristol and Mexico, 
in the winter of 1836-7. In these two melancholy shipwrecks 
215 persons were lost. 

Newtown, Astoria, Oyster Bay, Glen Cove, and Norwich, are 
villages of some importance. Lloyd's neck belongs to the town 
of Oyster Bay. 



V. SUFFOLK COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 976. 
Organized, 1683. 



Population, 34,579. 
Valuation, 1845, $5,962,618. 




TOWNS. 



6. Smith town, 1788. 

7. Southampton, 178S 

8. Southold, 1788. 

9. Riverhead, 1792 



t • 



Nissiquogue River, c. Sampawan's 
, Peconic. 

D. Long Island Sound, f. Great 
g. Gardiner's, j. Smithtown. m. 
o. Great West. 

s. Robbins'. t. Plumb. 



1. Brookhaven, 1788. 

2. East Hampton, 17S8. 

3. Huntington, 1788. 

4. Islip, 1788. 

5. Shelter Island, 1788. 
Rivers, a. Connecticut creek, b. 

creek, d. Conesqua River, v, 
Bays, 8fc. E. Atlantic Ocean. 

South Bay. e. Great Peconic. 

Huntington's, n. Shinecock. 
Ponds, h. Ronkonkama. 
Islands, 8fc. q. Fisher's, r. Gardiner's. 

u. Shelter, p. Montauk poinf. 
Villages. Riverhead. Sag Harbor. Greenport. 

-Boundaries. North by Long Island Sound ; East and South 
by the Atlantic Ocean ; and West by Queens county. 

Surface. Toward the northern shore, the surface is hilly 
and broken. The southern portion is level and sandy. There 
are no hills of considerable altitude in the county. The Great 
Peconic bay, extending nearly into the centre of the county, di- 
vides it into two peninsulas. 

Rivers. The county is not well watered. The Peconic, Con- 
necticut, Nissiquogue, Sampawan's and Conesqua rivers are the 
principal. 



SUFFOLK COUNTY. 165 

Bays, &c. The Atlantic Ocean washes its southern and 
eastern shores, and Long Island sound its northern. Its most 
considerable bays are Huntington, Smithtown, Gardiner's, 
Great Peconic, Shinecock, Great West, and Great South bays. 

Ponds. Ronkonkama pond lies at the junction of the towns 
oflslip, Smithtown and Brookhaven. 

Islands. Shelter, Gardiner's, Fisher's, Robbins', Plumb, and 
the Gull islands on the coast belong to this county. 

Climate. Similar to that of the Island generally. The pre- 
vailing winds are from the southwest. The atmosphere is at 
all times moist, and the cold of winter is accompanied by a de- 
gree of chilliness, which renders it unpleasant. The longevity 
of its inhabitants is greater, however, than that of any other 
portion of the state. 

Geology and Minerals. The geological formation of this 
county does not differ from that of the other counties of the 
island. 

It is a disputed point, whether the formation of the whole county is alluvial 
or not. That of the southern portion is undoubtedly so, and the immense granite 
and gneiss boulders imbedded in the soil, would indicate that the northern part 
might be also. 

It is the opinion of many eminent geologists, that the northern portion of the 
island once formed a part of the coast of Connecticut, and that it was rent from 
the main, either by the force of the waves, or by some convulsion of nature. 

Hematite, iron pyrites, lignite, clay, suitable for making porcelain ware, mag- 
netic iron sand, and garnet, are the principal minerals. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. Portions of the soil of 
this county are barren wastes of sand, producing little except 
pitch pine timber. Other portions on the southern shore are 
composed of sand dunes, or small hillocks of sand, affording no 
sustenance to any vegetable, except an occasional tuft of coarse 
grass. There are large tracts, however, of highly fertile land, 
which, manured with ashes, seaweed, and the fertilizing moss- 
bonker, or whitefish, yield ample crops, to repay the husband- 
man for his toil. 

The timber of the county is chiefly pitch pine, oak, hickory, chestnut and 
locust. The bay berry, or wax myrtle, abounds in Riverhead. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the in- 
habitants. The preparation of lumber and wood, for market, 
occupies considerable attention, though less now than formerly. 
Corn and oats are raised to some extent, and in some parts of 
the county, there are extensive dairies. 

The fisheries also afford employment to many of the inhabit- 
ants. The whale fishery is extensively prosecuted from Sag 
Harbor and Greenport. A considerable number of vessels are 
employed in the codfisheries, and numerous smacks, &c, in the 
coast fisheries. The entire amount of shipping, enrolled in this 
district, in 1845, was 28,348 tons. 
8* 



166 STATE Of NEW YORK. 

The manufactures oHhis county are not extensive. Flour, 
woollen and cotton goods, and leather, are the most important. 

Staple Productions. Oil, fish, corn and oats. 

Schools. There are in the county 142 district school-houses. 
The schools were maintained, in 1846, nine months ; 9117 chil- 
dren received instruction, at a cost of $ 17,953. The district 
libraries contained 19,72S volumes. 

There were, in addition, forty-six select schools, with 634 pupils, seven 
academies and one female seminary, attended by 119 scholars. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Con- 
gregationalisms, Baptists, Episcopalians, Universalists and Ro- 
man Catholics. There are seventy-nine churches, and eighty- 
two clergymen. 

History. This county was peopled mostly by emigrants from 
New England, and the inhabitants have retained, in a great de- 
gree, to this day, their primitive simplicity of manners and habits. 

Southold was the first town settled in the county, and the first 
to adopt a municipal organization, on the island. Its settlers 
removed here from New Haven, and remained under the juris- 
diction of that colony, until it was included in the charter of 
Connecticut, in 1662, after which, it became a dependency of that 
colony, till 1676, when Sir Edmund Andross insisting on his 
right to jurisdiction over it, the people submitted, somewhat un- 
willingly. 

Southampton and East Hampton were also included under the 
government of New Haven and Connecticut, until this period. 

Smithtown was purchased by Richard Smythe, of Narragan- 
sett, Rhode Island, who obtained a patent from Governor An- 
dross, in 1677, and removed here and founded a settlement. 
Gardiner's Island was settled by Lyon Gardiner, in 1635;* 
Shelter Island in 1652, by James Farrett and others ; and Brcok- 
haven in 1655, by emigrants, mostly from Boston. 

In 1673, Colve, the Dutch governor of New Netherlands, at- 
tempted to reduce these towns to subjection to the Dutch au- 
thority at New Orange [New York]. This effort called forth a 
sharp remonstrance from John Winthrop, the then governor of 
Connecticut, and a spirited correspondence ensued, which re- 
sulted in a partial compromise, on the part of the Dutch gov- 
ernor. 

In 1674, however, the English sway was resumed, and in 
1676 the county came under the government of the colony of 
New York. In 1699, the pirate Kidd secreted a portion of his 

* Mr. Gardiner was a man of fine education, and exerted a powerful influ- 
ence over the Indians, and the white settlers on the island. Wyandanch, the 
powerful sachem of the Montauks, regarded him with the utmost reverence 
and affection. 



SUFFOLK COUNTY. 167 

ill-gotten treasures on Gardiner's Island, in this county. These 
were seized by order of the Earl of Bellomont, the same year. 

During- the revolution, the people of Suffolk county were de- 
cidedly patriotic in their sentiments, and though under the dom- 
ination of the British, they maintained their affection for their 
country, and consequently suffered severely from her enemies. 

It deserves to be recorded, to the honor of East Hampton, that every man in 
the town, capable of bearing arms, signed a solemn pledge, on the 6th July, 1775, 
not to submit to British taxation. The other towns were nearly unanimous in 
their resistance to oppression. 

On the 21st of May, 1777, the British having collected a con- 
siderable quantity of provisions and military stores at Sag Har- 
bor, General Parsons formed the design of destroying them, 
and committed the enterprise to Lieutenant Colonel Meigs. 

That officer proceeded directly to Guilford, but on account of 
the roughness of the weather, could not embark till the 23d, 
when he left Guilford, at one o'clock, P. M., with 170 men, in 
thirteen whale boats. They arrived at Southold about six 
o'clock, P. M., transported their boats over land to the bay, and 
arrived, at twelve o'clock at night, within four miles of Sag 
Harbor. Securing their boats under a guard, they marched di- 
rectly for the village, and attacking the outposts with fixed bayo- 
nets, they proceeded immediately to the shipping. 

An armed schooner, with twelve guns and seventy -nine men, 
lying here, fired upon them for three-fourths of an hour, but 
without effect. Twelve brigs and sloops, (one of which was 
the vessel above referred to), 120 tons of hay, corn and oats, 
ten hogsheads of rum, and a large quantity of merchandise, 
were completely destroyed ; six of the enemy were killed, and 
ninety taken prisoners. Not one of Colonel Meigs' force was 
either killed or wounded. 

At two o'clock in the afternoon, he returned to Guilford, hav- 
ing been absent only twenty-five hours. Congress voted a 
sword to Colonel Meigs, and Washington addressed him a let- 
ter of thanks, through General Parsons. 

In retaliation for the capture of Major General Silliman, by 
the British, in May, 1779, a party of twenty-five volunteers set 
off from Bridgeport, Conn., on the 4th of November of the same 
year, to capture Hon. Thomas Jones, then judge of the supreme 
court, who was noted for his attachment to Great Britain. 
They succeeded in their object, and captured three other pris- 
oners. These were exchanged, in May, 1780, for Major Gen- 
eral Silliman, and other prisoners. 

On the 21st November, 1780, Major Benjamin Tallmadge at- 
tempted an enterprise against Fort St. George, a British stock- 
ade post near Mastic, on the southern shore of the island, in the 
town of Brookhaven. Embarking at Fairfield, Conn., with 



168 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

eighty men, he crossed the sound to Old Man's harbor, where 
he remained concealed through the day, and at night marched 
for the fort, which he reached about two o'clock in the morning, 
and carried immediately, at the point of the bayonet, taking 
fifty-four prisoners, and destroying several vessels laden with 
stores. On his return he stopped at Corum, and burned three 
hundred tons of hay, which had been collected by the British. 
He arrived at Fairfield, on the evening of the 22d, with his pris- 
oners and booty, without the loss of a single man. 

In October, 1781, Major Tallmadge attacked Fort Slongo, 
a British post at Tredwell's bank, in Smithtown, and destroyed 
it, taking a number of prisoners. 

During the late war with Great Britain, the enemy repeatedly 
seized vessels in Long Island sound, and on the coast, and 
either wantonly destroyed them, or demanded an exorbitant 
price for their ransom. In one of their incursions Tor this pur- 
pose, at Riverhead, in May, 1814, they were repulsed by the 
militia, with severe loss. 

Villages. Riverhead, the seat of justice for the county, is a 
small village on Peconic river. 

Sag Harbor, the largest whaling port in the state, and the 
most populous village in the county, is situated on the boundary 
line between Southampton and East Hampton, the larger por- 
tion of it being in the former town. Its site is sandy and sterile, 
but its harbor is excellent. It was first settled in 1730. 

In 1845 there were sixty-one ships and barks belonging to this 
port, engaged in the whaling business, employing a capital of 
more than $2,000,000, and a number of smaller vessels in the 
home fisheries and coasting trade. It suffered severely, from 
a disastrous fire in 1845, but was soon rebuilt, in a better man- 
ner than before. Population 3621. 

Gretnport, the terminus of the Long Island railroad, has 
sprung up since 1827, and has had a more rapid growth, than 
any other village in the county. It had twelve ships, engaged 
in the whaling business, in 1845. Population about 1200. 

Huntington, in the town of the same name, is a small but an- 
cient village, with an incorporated academy. It has a fine 
harbor. 

Oyster Ponds, or Orient, and Southold, are growing settle- 
ments. 



VI. RICHMOND COUNTY. 

Square Miles, 63. Population, 13,673. 

Organized, 1683. Valuation, 1845, $1,373,2'] 




TOWNS. 

3. Southfield, 17S8. 



4. Westfield, 1788. 
a. The Narrows, b Arthur Kull Sound. 

q- 



Tornpkinsville. Factory- 



1. Castleton, 17S8. 

2. Northfield, 1788. 
Bays. A. New York Bay. 

c. Staten Island Sound, q. Newark Bay. w. Raritan. x. Lower 

Bay. 
Forts. Tompkins. Richmond. 
Villages. Richmond. New Brighton. 

ville. 

Boundaries. North by Newark bay and Arthur Kull sound ; 
East by New York bay and the Narrows ; South by the Lower 
bay and Raritan bay ; and West by Staten Island sound. It em- 
braces Shooter's island, and the islands of meadow on the west 
side of Staten island. 

Surface. Richmond county is quite elevated and much bro- 
ken. There are a few miles of marsh, however, on the west- 
ern coast, extending back irom Newark bay. The northern 
shore of the island is very bold, affording some delightful pros- 
pects and beautiful sites for building, some of which are occu- 
pied. The southeastern extremity is more level. 

Bays, &c. New York bay on the north connects with New- 



170 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

ark bay by means of the Arthur Kull sound. Staten island 
sound, seldom exceeding half a mile in width, bounds it for fif- 
teen miles on the west. New York bay on the east is contracted 
at Signal hill into the Narrows which divide it into the upper 
and lower bays. That portion of the upper bay lying northeast 
of the island is known as the quarantine ground, where vessels 
from warm climates are obliged to lie at anchor, under quaran- 
tine regulations, till permission is given by the health officer for 
them to proceed to the city. 

Climate. The climate is less subject to extremes than in 
many sections of the state. The sea-breezes moderate alike the 
heat of summer and the cold of winter. Its inhabitants are 
healthy. 

Geology and Mineralogy. Staten Island is based upon prim- 
itive rock, which rises near its centre into a ridge, running lon- 
gitudinally through it, with a breadth of from one to two miles. 
Boulders of green-stone, sand-stone, gneiss, granite, &c, appear 
in some sections sparingly, but on the northeast part of the 
island in considerable abundance. 

Steatite, containing veins of talc, amianthus, and alabaster, covers the granite 
of the ridge. This approaches in many places within one and a half feet of the 
surface. Brown hematitic iron ore, of a superior quality, is abundant, as well as 
a granular oxide of iron. Chalcedony, jasper, lignite, crystalized pyrites, asbestos, 
amianthus, dolomite, Brucite, Gurhofite, talc and serpentine, are the other prin- 
cipal minerals. 

There is a single chalybeate spring, of no great strength, in the county. Ma- 
rine fossils have been found in the alluvial portions of the island. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil of the county 
with proper culture produces fair crops, particularly of oats, 
corn and grass. Land, however, commands a high price per 
acre, even when taken in farms. 

Oak, hickory, walnut, and chestnut trees are abundant on the ridge, but they 
are small, and chiefly of after growth. 

Pursuits. The attention of the people is divided between ag- 
riculture, manufactures and commerce. Manufactures are al- 
most entirely confined to the dyeing and printing of cloths. 

Fisheries are a source of sustenance and profit to many of its 
inhabitants. Large quantities of fine oysters and clams, shad, 
herring and mossbonkers, or white-fish, are annually taken 
from its waters. 

Many of its citizens are engaged in business in the city of New 
York. 

Schools. The public school-houses are fourteen. The 
schools were taught in 1846 on an average ten months, and 
were attended by 1915 scholars. The wages ol teachers 
amounted to $5425; the libraries contained 4462 volumes. 
There are twenty-six private schools with 716 pupils. 



RICHMOND COUNTY. 171 

Religious denominations. Methodists, Episcopalians, Bap- 
tists, Dutch Reformed and Roman Catholics. There are 
twenty-one churches and twenty-four clergymen. 

History. Staten Island was purchased from the Indians, in 
1630, by Wouter Van T wilier, as agent for Michael Paauw, 
one of the directors of the Dutch West India Company, together 
with a large tract of land in Bergen county, New Jersey. Paauw 
named his " Colonie" Pavonia,* probably from the abundance 
of wild turkeys, regarded by the first settlers as a species of 
peacock. 

For some reason, Paauw seems soon to have relinquished his 
claim to the island, and it reverted to the company. In January, 
1639, David PieterszenDe Vries, the pioneer in the settlements 
on the Delaware, commenced a colony on the island. Through 
the short sighted policy of Governor Kieft, in regard to the In- 
dians, their revengeful disposition was roused, and in the ab- 
sence of De Vries, his colony was cut off. 

In 1641, Cornells Melyn, an unprincipled adventurer, claimed 
the island under an alleged grant from the West India Compa- 
ny, and commenced a colony upon it, but the settlers were soon 
dispersed by the Indians. In 1651, the Indians sold it again to 
Augustin Herman, and in 1657, to the Baron Van Capellan, 
who founded a colony, which was broken up by the Indians. 

In 1655, during Governor Stuyvesant's invasion of the Swe- 
dish settlements on the Delaware, the Indians made a descent 
upon Staten Island, and massacred sixty-seven persons, which 
must have embraced nearly the whole white population. 

In 1658, Melyn obtained the exclusive title to the island, and 
claiming to be independent of New Amsterdam, gave Governor 
Stuyvesantand the colonists much trouble. In 1659 he convey- 
ed his rights to the company. 

In 1664, the county, together with the rest of the colony, fell 
into the hands of the English, and soon became the home of 
numerous emigrants. In 1667, the first court of justice was 
established here. In 1670, it was once more purchased of the 
Indians by Governor Lovelace. In 16S3, it contained 200 fami- 
lies. It was then organized as a county. . Soon after this time 
it received an accession of inhabitants from the Huguenots, who 
fled from their native land on account of persecution. 

On the fourth of July, L776, Sir William Howe seized the 
island, and issued from thence his proclamations to the inhabit- 
ants of Long Island ; and on the 22d of August, landed his troops 
without opposition, on the Long Island shore, opposite South- 
field. The island was held by the British, during the whole 
revolutionary struggle. 

* Pavonia signifies the land of peacocks. 



172 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

On the 21st of August, 1777, Gen. Sullivan, with a force of 
about 1000 men, undertook an expedition against the English 
forces on Staten Island He captured about 150 prisoners, but, 
from the terror of the boatmen who conveyed his troops to the 
island, he was pressed by the British and thirteen of his men 
killed, and the rear guard of one division numbering 136 men, 
taken prisoners, before they could effect a passage to the main 

land. 

In November, 1777, another surprise was attempted by Gen- 
eral Dickinson, and in the winter of 1779-80, a third by General 
Stirling ; both were unsuccessful. 

Preparatory to the war of 1812, Forts Tompkins, Richmond 
and Hudson, were erected at the Narrows, which completely 
command the entrance to the upper bay. On Signal hill, back 
of the forts, is a telegraph, communicating with New York city. 

From the time that the English obtained possession of this 
island, up to the year 1833, a controversy had existed between 
New York and New Jersey, relative to the jurisdiction over it. 
This controversy was at length happily terminated in that year, 
by commissioners, who decided in favor of New York, but yield- 
ed to New Jersey the jurisdiction over a portion of the adjacent 
waters. 

Villages, &c. Richmond, the county seat, is a small village 
in the town of Westfield, near the centre of the county. Cas- 
tleton, upon the Kills and New York bay, is the most hilly town 
in the county. The great beauty of the prospects, the salubrity 
of climate, and purity of water which its great elevation secures, 
and the convenience of access to New York city, has within the 
last few years much increased the value of its lands. It has 
three considerable villages, all finely situated; Tompkinsville, 
New Brighton and Factoryville. 

Tompkinsville contains three hospitals connected with the 
Quarantine department, and the country seat of the late Vice 
President, D. D. Tompkins. New Brighton has a young ladies' 
seminary and a boarding school for boys. It is distinguished 
for its beautiful country seats. At Factoryville is an extensive 
dyeing and printing establishment. 

In Northfield is located the " Sailors' Snug Harbour," founded 
by Robert R. Randall, in 1801, who left for this purpose twenty- 
two acres of land, in the fifteenth ward of New York city. The 
principal edifice, with its wings, is 225 feet in length, and is 
usually the home of about 100 infirm and aged seamen. Con- 
nected with it is a farm of 160 acres. An elegant monument to 
the memory of the founder fronts the edifice. 



VII. WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 

Square miles, 470. Population, 47,578. 

Organized, 1680. Valuation, 1845, §10,036,317. 




174 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

TOWNS. 

1. Bedford, 17SS. 

2. Cortland, 17SS. 13. Rye, 1768. 

3. East Chester, 1788. 14. Scarsdale, 1788. 

4. Greensburgh, 1788. 15. Somers, 1788. 

5. Harrison, 1788. 16. Westchester, 1788. 

6. Mamaroneek, 1788. 17. White Plains, 1788. 

7. Mount Pleasant, 1788. IS. Yonkers, 1788. 

8. New Rochelle, 1788. 19. Yorktown, 178S. 

9. North Castle, 1788. 20. New Castle, 1791. 

10. North Salem, 1788. 21. Lewisborough, 178S. 

11. Pelham, 1788. 22. Ossinsing, 1845. 
Mountains. T. Southern termination of the Matteawan mountains. 
Rivers, S^c. C. Hudson. B. East. S. Croton. a. Harlaem. 

e. Bronx, d. Sawmill creek. 
Bays, fyc. D. Long Island Sound, h. TappanBay. i. Haverstraw- 

k. Peekskill. 
Ponds, f. Croton. 
Forts. Fort Schuyler. 

Battle-fields. Verplank's Neck. Stoney Point. White Plains 
Villages. White Plains. Belford. Singsing. Peekskill Tar- 

rytown. Dobb's Ferry. 

Boundaries. North by Putnam county ; East by the state of 
Connecticut and Long 1 Island Sound ; South by East river and 
Harlaem river ; West by the Hudson river. 

Surface. The surface of Westchester county is hilly, being 
broken by numerous ridges, generally of no great elevation. 
The general course of these ridges is from south-west to north- 
east. The Matteawan mountains enter the north-western 
corner of the county, and irom thence cross the Hudson. 

A high ridge, forming the watershed of the county, passes 
from Mount Pleasant on the Hudson, eastward through New 
Castle, Bedford, Poundridge and Salem, into Connecticut. 
The south-eastern portion of this county, upon the Sound, be- 
comes more level. 

Rivers, &c. The East river, and Long Island Sound wash 
the south-eastern shore of the county, and the Hudson the 
western. The other principal streams are the Croton river, 
which furnishes a supply of water to New York city, Bronx 
and Sawmill rivers, and Mamaroneek creek. 

Bays. Tappan, Haverstraw and Peekskill bays are only ex- 
pansions of the Hudson, upon the western boundary of the 
county. 

Ponds. Croton Pond is a beautiful little lake, five miles in 
length, formed by the Croton dam, which was erected for the 
purpose of forming a reservoir, for the water conducted to New 
York by the Croton aqueduct. 



WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 175 

Railroad. The Harlaem railroad extends through the 
county to its northern boundary. 

Climate. Its climate is mild and healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. This county is wholly primitive in 
its formation. Gneiss and primitive limestone are the prevail- 
ing rocks. 

The latter furnishes in vast abundance, an excellent building material, which, 
under the name of Singsing marble, is extensively used in New York city, Brook- 
lyn, Albany and Troy. It is liable, however, to become stained by the action of 
the sea air, owing in part to its containing minute grains of iron pyrites. 

Magnetic iron ore, iron and^ copper pyrites, green malachite, sulphuret of zinc, 
galena and other lead ores, native silver in small quantities, serpentine, garnet, 
beryl, apatite, tremolite, white pyroxene, chlorite, black tourmaline, Sillimanite, 
monazite, Brucite, epidote and sphene, are the principal among the numerous min- 
erals found within its borders. Peat is found abundantly, and of good quality, in 
Bedford. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. As the county is based 
upon primitive rock, its soil is naturally sterile, but by skillful 
husbandry it has been rendered productive. It is not adapted 
to wheat: summer crops succeed well, and by the use of piaster 
it yields good returns in grass. Much of the land is devoted to 
the raising of market vegetables. 

The timber of the county is principally oak, chestnut, hickory, maple, &c. 

Pursuits. Agriculture, and particularly Horticulture, is the 
pursuit of a majority of the inhabitants. But little wheat is 
raised; corn is extensively cultivated, and carried in large 
quantities to New York city, in the ear. 

Rye, oats, potatoes and turnips are also largely produced, as 
well as the garden vegetables adapted to the New York market- 
The rearing of calves, lambs, pigs and fruits for the same 
market, is also a source of great profit to the agriculturists. 
Butter and milk are also produced in considerable quantities. 

Manufactures. The facilities for manufacturing in this 
county are very generally improved, but there is not as much 
variety in the manufactures as in some other counties of the 
state. Iron, woollen goods, flour, leather and paper are the 
principal articles. 

Commerce. A considerable coasting trade is carried on be- 
tween the ports on the Hudson and on the Sound, and New 
York city. Much of the produce of the county is also trans- 
ported to New York by the Harlaem railroad, and by steamers 
on the Hudson. 

Mines. Under this head we may enumerate the extensive 
marble quarries at Singsing, Kingsbridge, and a copper mine 
in Mount Pleasant, formerly extensively wrought, but now 
abandoned. 

Staple Productions. Corn, oats, rye, pork, calves, iambs, 
fowls, garden vegetables, butter and milk. 



176 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Schools. There are in the county 149 district school-houses. 
In 1846, schools were taught an average period of nine months, 
and 8512 children received instruction, at an expense of nearly 
$23,000. The number of volumes in the district libraries was 
26,485. 

The same year there were eighty-nine private schools, with 1354 scholars ; five 
academies, and two female seminaries, with 196 pupils, and St. John's College, a 
collegiate school, with thirteen instructors and 115 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Episcopalians, Pres- 
byterians, Friends, Baptists, Dutch Reformed, Roman Catho- 
lics, Congregationalists, and Universalists. Total number of 
churches, 111; of clergymen, 101. 

History. The first settlement in this county was probably 
made in 1642 or 1643, by Mr. Throgmorton, and thirty-five asso- 
ciates, in the town of Westchester. Mr. Throgmorton emigra- 
ted hither from New England, and commenced his settlement 
with the approbation of the Dutch, who named it Eastdorp. 
The promontory on which Fort Schuyler now stands, received 
its name of Throg's point from this gentleman. In 1648, the 
territory now included in the town of Yonkers, was granted to 
Jonge Heer Van der Donk.* 

The boundary line between New York and Connecticut was 
the cause of almost incessant bickering during the Dutch and 
the earlier part of the English colonial administration. This 
settlement of Eastdorp, as well as others in this county, were 
claimed by Connecticut. 

In 1681, a settlement was made in Bedford, at a place called 
the Hop Ground, under a Connecticut license, and in 1697, a 
patent was issued for the town by the Connecticut Colonial As- 
sembly. In 1700, however, the settlement was attached to New 
York by order of King William. A patent was granted to 
Frederick Philips, for the tract known as Philips' patent, which 
was south of the Croton river, and was about twenty miles 
square. 

In 1689, Governor Leisler purchased the manor of Pelham, 
including the present town of that name and New Rochelle, 
from the heirs of Thomas Pell, to whom it had been granted in 
1666, for the Huguenots, who fled hither from France, on account 
of persecution. 

Governor Leisler was warmly supported in his administration 
by the citizens of this county, and particularly by those of East 
Chester. 

In 1697, the two tracts of land, known as the Cortland manor, 
lying in this county, and consisting of more than 86,000 acres, 
were granted to Stephanus Van Cortland. This patent, as 



* Probably Adriaen Van der Donk, the words Jonge Heer being merely the 



title of the "individual. 



WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 177 

usual at that time, gave to the manor the right of representation 
in the assembly. 

Passing over the period from 1700 to 1775, during which few 
incidents of interest are recorded by historians, we find this 
county deeply concerned in the events of the revolution. After 
the disastrous battle of Long Island, and the evacuation of New 
York city by the American army, in September, 1776, General 
Washington had entrenched himself in a strong position at 
Kingsbridge. 

Finding it impossible to dislodge him from this post, General 
Howe, the commander of the British forces determined to cut 
off his communication with the eastern provinces, and then, if he 
declined an engagement, to shut him up on the island of New 
York, or its immediate vicinity, whence it would be impossible 
for him to retire without serious loss. 

Accordingly leaving a sufficient force in New York city, the 
British General embarked with a large body of troops, for 
Throg's point. Landing there, and having remained a few days, 
to receive further reinforcements, and remove obstructions from 
the roads over which he intended to pass, he marched to New 
Rochelle, where he left a corps of German troops, to secure the 
lower road leading to Connecticut. He, himself, proceeded 
slowly and cautiously towards White Plains, the post of the 
Highlands, which commanded the other road leading to the 
east. 

Meantime General Washington's army occupied a position 
parallel to and west of the river Bronx, extending from Kings- 
bridge nearly to White Plains. During the progress of the 
British army, he sent out frequent parties to skirmish with the 
enemy, and thus accustomed his troops to meet a foe, who had 
hitherto inspired them with dread. 

Upon their approach, however, the American commander 
called in all his troops, and took a strong position near White 
Plains, on the west side of the Bronx. His right wing, being 
more exposed than the remainder of the army, was protected 
by a battery, erected on a hill, about a mile distant from the 
camp. 

On the morning of the 28th of October, the English army ad- 
vanced in two columns, and having driven in the outposts, at- 
tacked the American camp. Perceiving the importance of the 
battery which protected the right wing of the Americans, the 
British commander resolved to capture it. After a desperate 
conflict and severe loss on both sides, it was carried by the 
enemy. 

Night put an end to the conflict. Washington improved the 
interval in strengthening his entrenchments, and the next morn- 
ing awaited an attack. The British general delayed for further 



178 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

reinforcements, and when these arrived, a storm prevented an 
engagement. 

Meantime, on the night of the 1st of November, Washington 
abandoned his encampment, and removed to a stronger position, 
near North Castle, some seven or eight miles north of White 
Plains. Finding it impossible to dislodge him from this, the 
British general withdrew from the pursuit, and determined to 
reduce the posts, still held by the Americans, in the neighbor- 
hood of New York city. 

The principal of these were Fort Washington, on New York 
island, and Fort Lee, on the New Jersey side of the Hudson. 
Despite Washington's efforts to prevent it, he succeeded in 
capturing both these forts, though not without severe loss, and 
the American general was compelled to retreat, with a con- 
stantly diminishing army, into New Jersey. 

In March, 1777, the Americans having collected a quantity of 
military stores at Peekskill, General Howe sent a powerful ar- 
mament up the river, to destroy them. The American troops, 
finding it impossible to defend them, set fire to the stores and 
abandoned the place, leaving the British a barren victory. 

In August, 1777, while General Putnam's head quarters 
were at Peekskill, tw T o noted British spies, Strang and Palmer, 
w r ere detected in the camp of the Americans, and hanged at 
Oak hill, in the town of Cortland, near Peekskill village. Sir 
Henry Clinton interfered in behalf of the latter, by sending a 
flag of truce, demanding his release. General Putnam's reply 
was characteristic ; it was as follows : 

Head Quarters, 7th August, 1777. 

Sir, — Nathan Palmer, a lieutenant in your king's service, was 
taken in my camp as a spy, he was tried as a spy, he was con- 
demned as a spy, and you may rest assured, sir, he shall be 
hanged as a spy. I have the honor to be, &c. 

ISRAEL PUTNAM. 

His Excellency Governor Tryon. 
P. S. Afternoon. He is hanged. I. P. 

With a view of making a diversion in favor of General Bur- 
goyne, then closely besieged by General Gates, Sir Henry 
Clinton in October, 1777, ascended the Hudson with a force of 
between 3000 and 4000 troops, and landed at Verplank's point, 
a short distance below Peekskill. 

From thence he proceeded secretly across the river and gain- 
ed the rear of forts Clinton and Montgomery, in Orange county. 
By his adroit manoeuvres he succeeded in deceiving General 
Putnam, and prevented his affording aid to those forts, which 
might have prevented their surrender. 

After the capture of the forts, the British again crossed the 
Hudson, burned Continental village, where military stores to a 



VIII. ULSTER COUNTY. 



Square miles, 1096. 
Organized, 1683. 



Population, 48,907. 
Valuation, 1845, $5,398,982. 




1. Hurley, 17S3. 

2. Kingston, 178S. 

3. Marbletown, 1788. 

4. Marlborough, 178S. 

5. New Paltz, 17S8. 

6. Rochester, 1788. 

7. Shawangunk, 1788. 

8. Woodstock, 1788. 



TOWNS. 

9. Plattekill, 1800. 

10. Shandaken, 1804. 

11. Wawarsing, 1806.. 

12. Esopus, 1811. 

13. Saugerties, 1611. 

14. Olive, 1623. 

15. Rosendale, 1845. 

16. Lloyd, 1845. 



h. Blue. i. Southern 



Mountains. P. Shawangunk mountains. 

termination of Kaatsbcrgs. 
Rivers, Sfc. C. Hudson river. V. Shawangunk. a. Esopus creek 

f. Rondout. g. Wallkill river. 
Falls. Honk's falls. 
Lakes, k. Shin's lake. 
Battle Fields. Kingston. Wawarsing. 
Villages. Kingston. Rondout. Saugerties, or Ulster. New Paltz. 

Wawarsing. 

9 



182 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Boundaries- North by Delaware and Greene counties ; East 
by the Hudson river; South by Orange county; and West by 
Sullivan county. 

Surface. Mountainous. The Shawangunk mountains enter 
the county from Orange, and traverse it in a north-easterly 
direction, for nearly thirty miles, approaching the Hudson at 
Kingston. 

The Blue mountains, a continuation of the Allegany chain, 
enter the county from Sullivan county, and spread over its west- 
ern section, mingling in the northern part with the Catskill 
range. They are said to rise, in some places, to the height of 
2000 feet. Between these and the Shawangunk mountains, is 
a broad valley through which flows the Rondout creek. 

Rivers. Beside the Hudson which washes its eastern border, 
the principal streams of the county are the Wallkill and Sha- 
wangunk rivers, and Esopus and Rondout creeks, with their 
tributaries. The Nevisink river also takes its rise in this county . 

Falls. The Rondout, at Honk's falls, descends by a suc- 
cession of cascades, 200 feet, sixty feet of which is by a single 
cataract. 

Lakes. In the northern and western section of the county 
are several small lakes or ponds. One of the most important 
of these is Shin's lake, the source of one of the tributaries of 
Esopus creek. 

Canals. The Delaware and Hudson Canal extends through 
the county. 

Climate. The mountainous districts are somewhat cold and 
subject to early frosts. The climate in the valleys is mild and 
delightful. The county is considered salubrious. 

Geology and Minerals. Nearly the whole county belongs 
to the transition formation, being based upon slate, which is 
overlaid with limestone. ' The primary rocks, particularly gran- 
ite, occasionally appear on the surface, but only in beds of small 
extent. 

The minerals are blue limestone, containing fossils, much used as a building 
material ; hydraulic lime of fine quality, and in great abundance ; excellent mar- 
ble ; marl, slate, sulphur, alum, plumbago, (usually called black lead,) zinc ore, 
several of the mineral pigments, millstones, said to be little inferior to the French 
peat, &c. There are also several sulphur springs of some celebrity. A number 
of skeletons of the mastodon have been discovered in this county. 

Soil and Vegetaele Productions. The soil varies with the 
surface, being barren upon the mountains, fertile on the lower 
hills, and composed of a deep vegetable mould, of exhaustless fer- 
tility, in the extensive valleys. The application of marl, which 
is abundant in the county, would render those portions naturally 
sterile, highly productive. It is well adapted to grazing. The 



ULSTER COUNTY. 183 

timber of the county is oak, hickory, black walnut, pine and 
hemlock. 

Pursuits. A majority of the inhabitants are engaged inag- 
riculture. More attention is devoted to the rearing of cattle 
and to the dairy, than to the grain culture, although corn, oats, 
and buckwheat are raised in considerable quantities. 

Manufactures are also a popular pursuit. The manufactures 
of the county amounted, in 1845, to nearly two and a half mil- 
lions of dollars. Leather, lumber, flour, iron, cotton and 
woollen goods, hydraulic cement, oil, paper, furniture, white 
lead, and distilled and malt liquors, are the principal articles 
manufactured. 

Commerce. The Delaware and Hudson canal brings to tide 
water immense quantities of coal and lumber, most of which is 
shipped for New York, and other ports. This business gives 
employment to about 600 canal boats, and eighty sloops and 
schooners. Several steamboats are also owned in the county, 
and ply between the ports on the Hudson and New York city. 

Mines. The quarries of marble and limestone furnish em- 
ployment to considerable numbers. 

Staple Productions. Butter, corn, oats, buckwheat, wool, 
and lumber. 

Schools. There were in the county, in 1846, 181 district 
schoolhouses, in which schools were taught an average period 
of nine months each. 11,547 children received instruction at a 
cost for tuition of about $20,000. The district libraries contain- 
ed 26,780 volumes. 

There were in the county, the same year, forty private schools, with 811 
pupils; two academies and two female seminaries with 135 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Dutch Reformed, Methodists, 
Baptists, Presbyterians, Friends, Episcopalians, and Roman 
Catholics. There are seventy churches, and sixty-one clergy- 
men, of all denominations. 

History. A trading house, or fort, was probably erected in 
this county as early as 1615 or 16, in the neighborhood of Kings- 
ton. At how early a period settlements were made in other 
sections of the county is uncertain. The frequent references to 
the settlements at Esopus, as the vicinity of the fort was called 
in the Dutch records, show that it had early become a location 
of some importance. 

Situated about midway between the city of New Amsterdam and the colony 
of Rensselaerwyck, whose inhabitants did not always maintain the most friendly 
relations with each other, and with the Indians, it was more exposed to Indian 
hostilities than most of the other settlements. 

In 1657, Vander Donk, the ex-attorney general, who resided 
at Esopus, slew a squaw for stealing peaches from his garden, 
and her tribe revenged the murder by killing several of the 



184 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

white settlers. From this and other causes much ill feeling 
arose between the natives and the settlers, and in June, 1663, 
the Indians made a descent upon the settlement, and killed and 
carried captive sixty-five persons. 

Circumstances rendered it probable that a conspiracy had 
been formed by the Indians to extirpate the Dii h colonists. 
Governor Stuyvesant summoned the magistrates of the differ- 
ent towns, to consult, with him relative to measures of defence. 
Their views not coinciding with his own, he repaired to Esopus, 
and took the field in person against the savages, who, on the 
approach of Martin Creigier, one of his captains, had fled to the 
mountains. 

Sending out parties of wary and experienced soldiers, Gov. 
Stuyvesant not only kept them in check, but destroyed most of 
their mountain fastnesses, and so far subdued them that they 
asked for a truce, and, on the 15th of May following, a treaty 
of peace was concluded with them. 

Wawarsing and some of the adjacent towns were settled by 
the Huguenots, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, or 
the beginning of the eighteenth. 

The convention, which formed the first constitution of the 
state, met at Kingston, in a chamber of the house of Mr. James 
W. Baldwin. 

In October, 1777, during Sir Henry Clinton's expedition up 
the Hudson, for the relief of General Burgoyne, he despatched 
General Vaughan to Kingston. He landed and burned the 
village, at that time the third in the state for wealth, popula- 
tion, and elegance. Only one house escaped the flames. Sev- 
eral tories were executed at Kingston during the Revolution. 

In 1778, two men, Anderson and Osterhout, were taken cap- 
tives by the Indians, and carried toward Binghamton. On 
their way they succeeded in killing their captors, and, after 
almost incredible hardships, returned to their houses in the 
town of Wawarsing. 

In May, 1779, a party of Indians descended upon a small set- 
tlement of the Huguenots, on the Fantine kill in Wawarsing, 
and killed eleven of the inhabitants and burned several dwell- 
ings. They were pursued by Colonel Cortlandt with his regi- 
ment, but without effect. Soon after, another family were 
killed in the same vicinity. 

In August, 1781, a large force of Indians and tories, some 400 
or 500 in number, made an attack upon the village of Wawar- 
sing, and burned and plundered it. The inhabitants had had 
timely warning and were in the fort. The Indians in this expe- 
dition took but one scalp, while several of their own number 
were killed, and but for the tardiness of Colonel Cantine, they 



ULSTER COUNTY. 185 

might have been signally routed. Other similar, occurrences 
took place in some of the other towns of the county. 

Villages. Kingston, the county seat, is pleasantly situated 
on a plain, three miles west of the landing on the Hudson. The 
Esopus creek flows through the village. It was anciently called 
Esopus, and, as has been already noticed, was early settled by 
the Dutch. 

It was burnt by the British in 1777, but soon re-built. It has 
considerable trade with New York, and some manufactures. 
Its business is not concentrated upon one street, but scattered 
over the whole village plat. It has a flourishing academy, and 
a female seminary. Population 2500. 

RondouU also in the township of Kingston, is situated on the 
Rondout creek. It is the place of deposit and shipment of the 
coal and lumber, brought to the Hudson, by the Delaware and 
Hudson canal. Nearly 200,000 tons of coal, and several mil- 
lions of feet of lumber, as well as large quantities of hydraulic 
cement, and quick lime, are annually exported from this port. 
A steam ferryboat plies between this place and Rhinebeck, in 
Dutchess county, and also one to Eddyville, in this county. 
The United States Government have erected a light house 
here. Population about 1S0O. 

Eddyville, in the same town, is a small but thriving manu- 
facturing village. 

Uisterville, in the town of Saugerties, is a village of recent 
growth, being founded in 1826, and incorporated in 1831. Its 
immense water power, derived from the falls on Esopus creek, 
has rendered it one of the most flourishing manufacturing vil- 
lages in the state. 

There is an extensive rolling and slitting mill here, employ- 
ing 250 workmen. Axes, paper, white lead, starch, and bricks 
are also manufactured in large quantities. A beautiful bridge, 
with one arch of 260 feet span, crosses the Esopus creek in this 
village. A steamboat, and several sloops, ply betw r een the 
village and New York. Population, 2500. 

New Paltz, is a small but thriving agricultural hamlet. It 
has a flourishing academy. New Paltz landing, now included 
in the town of Lloyd, is a pleasant village, nine miles from the 
village of New Paltz. 

Wawarsing and Naponoch, in the town of Wawarsing, are 
places of some historic interest. 



IX. DUTCHESS COUNTY. 



Square miles, 76i 
Organized, 1683. 



Population, 55,124. 
Valuation, 1845, $19,784,944. 




DUTCHESS COUNTY. 187 



1. Amenia, 17SS. 10. Stanford, 1788. 

2. Beekman, 17SS. 11. Dover, 1807. 

3. Clinton, 1788. 12 Redhook, 1812. 

4. Fishkill, 17SS. 13. Milan, ISIS. 

5. Northeast, 178S. 14. Hyde Park, 1831. 

6. Pawling, 1788. 15. La Grange, 1821. 

7. Pon^hkeepsie, 1778. 16. Pleasant Valley, 1821. 

8. Rhinebeck, 1788. 17. Pine Plains, 1823. 

9. Washington, 1788. IS. Unionvale, 1827. 

Mountains. F. F. Highlands. T. Matteawan, or Fishkill Moun- 
tains. U. Taghkanic range, e. Old Beacon, f. New Beacon, or 
Grand Sachem. 

Rivers, Creeks, 8fc. C. Hudson river, a. Ten Mile creek, b. 

Fishkill. c. Wappinger's. 
Lakes, fyc. g. Stissing's Pond. h. Whaley's. 
Villages. Poughkeepsie, Fishkill, Matteawan, Fishkill Landing, 

Pleasant Valley, Hyde Park, Rhinebeck. 

Boundaries. North by Columbia county ; East by the state 
of Connecticut; South by Putnam county ; and west by Hudson 
river. 

Surface. The surface is diversified, but generally moun- 
tainous, or hilly. Two great valleys intersect the county; the 
eastern bounded by the Taghkanic and the Matteawan, or Fish- 
kill mountains ; the western, lying between the latter and the 
high banks of the Hudson river. Beside these, there are nu- 
merous rolling ridges of less elevation, running through the 
valleys parallel to the mountain ranges. 

The mountains rise in some places to the height of about 
1700 feet. The river range presents some of the highest peaks 
of the Highlands. The Old Beacon, near the Fishkill landing, 
is 1471 feet, and the New Beacon,* or Grand Sachem, half a 
mile farther south, 1685 feet, above tide water. The prospect 
from the top oft e latt r is very extensive and beautiful. 

Rivers, &c. The principal streams are, Ten Mile, Fishkill, 
Wappinger's, and Crom Elbow creeks, with their tributaries ; 
several of the smaller «n tarns also possess valuable mill sites. 
The Fishkill is about twenty miles in length. Wappinger's creek 
is about thirty-five miles long. 

Climate. The climate is agreeable and healthful, though, 
from the elevations of some portions of the county, it is colder 
than some of the adjacent counties. 

Geology and Mineralogy. The eastern part of the county 
is primitive. Granite and gneiss are the prevailing constituents. 

* These mountains received their names from the signal fires lit upon their tops 
during the Revolution. 



188 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

West of these, the country belongs to the Taconic system ; 
slate and limestone being the principal underlying rocks, and 
frequently cropping out upon the surface. 

The county abounds in minerals. Iron ore, of rare purity and in extraordi- 
nary abundance, exists on the western slopes of the mountains ; both the hema- 
titic and magnetic ores occur in the county. Lead and zinc are also found in 
considerable quantities. Graphite, or black lead, is obtained in great abundance 
from a mine in Fishkill Marble, peat, and marl, are found in almost every part 
of the county. Garnet, green actinolite, talc, anthophyllite, granular epidote, and 
Gibbsite are the other principal minerals. 

In Dover is a cavern which, from its almost perfect Gothic arch, has received 
the name of "the Stone Church." 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil in general, is 
very fertile, though portions of the mountainous districts are 
somewhat sterile. 

Gypsum is too much relied upon as a fertilizing agent, while the equally valu- 
able lime and marl upon, and beneath the soil are neglected ; a beneficial change 
is however taking place in this respect. The timber is principally oak and chest- 
nut with some hickory. The county is well adapted to the rearing of cattle and 
sheep, and the culture of grain. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the in- 
habitants of this county. In the production of corn and oats, it 
stands first in the state, and maintains a respectable rank in the 
production of other grains. In the growth of wool and the pro- 
duction of butter, it occupies a high rank ; in the number of 
its swine too it exceeds any other county in the state. Flax and 
potatoes are also raised in great abundance. 

Manufactures. Dutchess county is extensively engaged in 
manufactures. The most important articles are cotton and 
woollen goods, including prints, iron ware, flour, malt liquors, 
cordage, leather, oil, paper, &c. The entire value of manufac- 
tured products in 1845, exceeded two and half millions of dol- 
lars. 

Oiv merce. The w T hale fishery is prosecuted from Pough- 
keepsie, and employs several large ships. Some eight or ten 
steamboats, and a considerable number of sloops, schooners and 
barges, are employed in the coasting trade. 

Mines, tf-c. In Beekman, Dover, Fishkill, and Pawling, are 
extensive iron mines; in Fishkill a large mine of Plumbago; in 
Dover extensive quarries of white and black marble ; and in 
Poughkeepsie numerous and extensive lime-kilns. 

Staples. Corn, oats, butter, wool, beef, and pork. 

Schools. In the county are 210 district school-houses, in 
which, in 1846, schools were maintained an average period of 
nine months. 12,854 children received instruction at an ex- 
pense for tuition of about $27,962. The district libraries con- 
tained about 28,000 volumes. 

There were also in the county, eighty-three private schools, with 1155 scholars; 
four academies, and two female seminaries, with 298 pupils, and one collegiate 
school, with about 120 pupils. 



DUTCHESS COUNTY. 189 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Friends, Baptists, 
Presbyterians, Dutch Reformed, Episcopalians, Congregation- 
alists, Roman Catholics, Universalists, and Unitarians. There 
are 103 churches, and ninety-four clergymen of all denominations 
in the county* 

History. The precise period when Dutchess county was 
first settled, does not seem to be satisfactorily ascertained. The 
first settlement was made at Fishkill, by the Dutch. In 1683, 
the number of its inhabitants was sufficient to authorize its or- 
ganization, as a separate county. It was however very small, 
and, for nearly 20 years, was considered in the light of a depen- 
dency upon Ulster county. 

In 1689, its inhabitants, like those of Ulster, took part against 
Leisler, but afterward submitted to his administration. 

A large tract, extending from the Hudson to "the Oblong," 
and some eight or ten miles in width, comprising part of the 
towns of Hyde Park, Pleasant Valley, Washington, and Ame- 
nia, was granted to nine proprietors at a very early date, prob- 
ably about the commencement of the eighteenth century. It 
was called the " Great Nine Partners." 

In 1711, one Richard Sackett. lived on this tract, and with his 
family remained the only settlers upon it till 1724, when some 
German families, from the East Camp, on Livingston's Manor, 
in Columbia county, removed here. 

In 1702, the first house was built in Poughkeepsie by Myndert 
Van Kleek, a Dutchman, and one of the early emigrants to the 
county. 

In 1731, the boundary difficulties which had long existed be^ 
tween New York and Connecticut, were terminated by a com 4 
promise; Connecticut relinquishing to New York a tract called 
" the Oblong," lying mostly in this county, and containing about 
60,000 acres, in consideration for which, she received a tract on 
the southwestern corner of her territory, extending into West- 
chester county. 

Two patents were issued for "the Oblong," one in London 
the day after the settlement, to Sir Joseph Eyles and others, 
the other in New York, some few months later, to Hawley 
& Co. These two patents were the subject of much litigation, 
and the source of no small amount of party animosity. 

In 1741, several families from Connecticut emigrated to the 
northern part of the county. About the same time a considera- 
ble number of Friends from Long Island settled in the eastern 
section. 

In the troublous times which preceded the Revolution, Dutch-* 
ess county took the side of liberty, and furnished from among 
her citizens, some of the most brilliant and useful actors in that 
9* 



190 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

fearful conflict. Such were Montgomery, the hero of Quebec j 
the Schencks, and others of imperishable renown. 

During the revolutionary war, a part of the American army 
were stationed for a considerable time at Fishkill, under the 
command of General Putnam, and afterwards of General Par- 
eons. Their barracks were about half a mile south of the 
village.* 

Villages. Poughkeepsie, the county seat, in the town of the 
game name* is finely situated on the elevated bank of the 
Hudson, about equally distant from New York and Albany. 
During the Revolution, and after its close, the legislature of the 
state frequently held its sessions here. The convention of the 
state, which adopted the Federal Constitution, also met here in 
1788. The building occupied by that body has since been used 
as a brewery. 

Poughkeepsie is regularly laid out, and has many elegant pub- 
lic and private buildings. It has considerable commerce with 
New York and other home ports. 

It is also largely engaged in manufactures. Of these, ma- 
chinery, malt liquors, flour, carpets, cutlery, fire arms, silk* 
pins, iron and brass ware, sash and blinds, and bricks in large 
quantities and of superior quality, and the principal. 

The Poughkeepsie collegiate school is a fine institution, un» 
surpassed in the beauty of its situation, and the elegance of its 
edifice. This building is 77 by 137 feet, modeled after the Par- 
thenon at Athens, and surrounded by a massive colonnade. 
Its cost, exclusive of the extensive and beautiful grounds, was 
$40,000. The Dutchess county academy, also located in the 
village, is an excellent chartered institution. Beside these there 
are four female seminaries. Population about 9000. 

Fishkill Landing, in the town of Fishkill, is situated on the 
Hudson, directly opposite Newburgh. It has much delightful 
scenery, and is a place of considerable trade. Population about 
1000. 

Fishkill Village, in the same town, is a picturesque and beau- 
tiful hamlet. The Fishkill academy, located here, is a flourish- 
ing chartered institution. Population 800. 

Matteawan, in the same township, is an important manufactur- 
ing village. Large quantities of moleskins, beaverteens, and fus- 
tians are produced here. It has also an extensive iron and 
brass foundry* several machine shops, flouring mills, and other 
manufactories. The Highland Gymnasium, a celebrated board* 
ing school for boys, is located here. Population about 2000. 

* In the old stone church in the town of Fishkill, Enoch Crosby the pedlar 
spy, [the "Harvey Birch" of Cooper's novel, "The Spy, "J was confined, and 
frrjra thence he made his escape in an extraordinary and mysterious mannev. 






ORANGE COUNTY. 



191 



Glenham and Franklindale, in the same town, are flourish- 
ing manufacturing villages. 

Pleasant Valley, on Wappinger's creek, in the town of the 
same name, is a manufacturing village of some importance. It 
is principally engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods. 
Population 700. 

Hyde Park is a beautiful village, situated on the Hudson, and 
has some commerce and manufactures. Population 700. 

Rhinebeck, in the town of the same name, is a large and thri- 
ving village, with several manufactories. The Rhinebeck acad- 
emy is a highly flourishing institution. Population 1300. 



Square Miles, 760. 
Organized, 1683. 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



Population, 52,227. 
Valuation, 1845, $11,319,430. 




1. Cornwall, 17S8. 

2. Goshen, 1788. 

3. Minisink, 1788, 

4. Montgomery, 178S. 



TOWNS. 

5. Newburgh, 1788. 

6. New Windsor, 1783. 

7. Wallkill, 1788. 

8. Warwick, 1788. 



192 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

9. Deer Park, 1798. 13. Mount Hope, 1825. 

10. Blooming Grove, 1799. 14. Hamptonburgh, 1830. 

11. Monroe, 1799. 15. Chester, 1845. 

12. Crawford, 1S23. 

Mountains, fyc. T. Matteawan. P. Shawangunk. d. Bare. e. 

Crow's Nest, f. Butter Hill. 
Rivers, Sfc. C. Hudson. H, Delaware. R. Nevisink. V. Sbaw- 

angunk. g. Wallkill. a. Murderer's Creek. 
Lakes, fyc. i. Long Pond. h. Drowned Lands. 
Forts. West Point. Clinton. Montgomery. 
Battle Fields. Minisink. Montgomery and Clinton. 
Colleges. West Point Military Academy. 
Villages. Newburgh. Goshen. West Point. Montgomery. 

Boundaries. North by Sullivan and Ulster counties ; East by 
Hudson river and Rockland county ; South by Rockland county 
and the state of New Jersey; and west by Sullivan county and 
the Delaware river. 

Surface. Mountains, hills and plains diversify the surface of 
this county. The Matteawan mountains, or Highlands, cross 
its southeastern border diagonally ; the Shawangunk range 
stretches along its western boundary ; and, parallel to them, 
run a chain of low hills called Comfort hills. Between these 
and the Highlands extends a level valley, with occasional 
marshes. 

Upon the banks of the Hudson, in this county, are some of 
the highest points of the Highlands. Bare mountain is 1350 
feet, the Crow's Nest 1418 feet, and Butter Hill 1529 feet above 
tide water. The eastern face of the latter is an almost perpen- 
dicular precipice. 

Rivers. Beside the Hudson, which forms a portion of its 
eastern boundary, the principal streams are the Wallkill (or 
Waalkill), the Shawangunk and Nevisink rivers, and Murder- 
er's creek. The Wallkill, for about twenty miles of its course, 
flows through a marsh, known as the " Drowned lands." The 
Delaware river just touches a portion ol'the western boundary. 

Ponds. In the south part of the county are several ponds of 
considerable size. Long pond, on the New Jersey line, is the 
largest, and is some nine miJes in length. 

Railroads and Canals. The New York and Erie railroad 
passes through the county, affording a daily communication 
with New York city, while the Delaware and Hudson canal 
crosses its western border. 

Climate. The climate of the county is mild and agreeable. 
In the vicinity of the Drowned lands, fevers prevail in autumn ; 



ORANGE COUNTY. 193 

but the county generally is remarkably healthy. The spring 
opens about two weeks earlier than in the counties west of it. 

Geology and Minerals. The southeastern portion of the 
county, including the Highlands, is of primitive formation, and 
contains granite, sienite, hornblende, and primitive limestone. 
The remainder belongs to the transition system, being chiefly 
composed of slate, limestone and graywacke, of which the first 
and last are mostly found on the hills, and the second underlying 
the valleys. The Shawangunk mountains are composed mostly 
of graywacke, in which the millstone grit prevails. 

It abounds in minerals of rarity and value. In the towns of 
Monroe and Canterbury, are vast beds of magnetic iron ore. 
Hematitic iron ore is also abundant and of excellent quality. 

Among the minerals of interest may be enumerated spinel (a species of ruby) 
of extraordinary beauty ; fine Labradorite, a new mineral ; Ilraenite, a rare and 
interesting mineral, found more abundantly here than in any other known local- 
ity ; zircon, apatite, fibrous epidote, tourmaline, serpentine, Clintonite, Boltonite, 
scapolite, idiocrase, Bucholzite, white iron pyrites, sphene, pyroxene, hair brown 
hornblende, and many others of less importance. Their principal localities are in 
the towns of Monroe, Cornwall, Warwick and Deer Park. Excellent peat is found 
in the Drowned Lands and other low lands. 

Bones of the Mastodon have been discovered in several places in this county. 
An entire skeleton of this gigantic animal, by far the most perfect hitherto dis- 
covered, was disinterred in Coldenham, in 1845. The locality had evidently once 
been a marsh, and the animal, in attempting to cross it, had sunk in the mud, and 
was unable to extricate himself. His length is stated at thirty-three feet ; length 
of tusks ten feet ; length of skull three feet ten inches ; weight of head and tusks 
692 pounds ; weight of all the bones 2002. The contents of the stomach were 
found within the skeleton, consisting of crushed twigs, &c. 

This skeleton is now in the museum of the Harvard University. The skeleton 
of the Mastodon, in Peale's museum, Philadelphia, was taken from the town of 
Montgomery, in this county, and bones of others have been discovered in Chester 
and other towns. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is chiefly clay 
and gravelly loam, and is for the most part fertile, but better 
adapted to grazing than to the culture of grain, except the allu- 
vial lands in the southern part. The vast marsh of the Drowned 
lands, when drained, furnishes a soil of great depth and fertility, 
and is annually covered with the most luxuriant vegetation. 

The timber of the county is principally oak, chestnut, hickory, maple, black- 
walnut, elm, &c. The county produces apples and other fruit in perfection, and 
a great variety of the natural grasses. Owing to the rapid and precipitous 
course*of the Wallkill, before entering the Drowned Lands, and its sluggish pro- 
gress through them, many plants, belonging to a more southern climate, are found 
here.* 

Pursuits. Agriculture mainly engages the attention of the 
inhabitants. Orange county stands in the first rank among the 
dairy counties of the state. More than 4,100,000 pounds of but - 

* The first treatise on the Botany of New York, and we believe the first botanical 
work by an American author, was the Plantse Coldenhamise, by Governor Col- 
den, of Coldenham, near Newburgh. It was published at Upsal, m Sweden, in 1744. 



194 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

ter were made in 1845, and about seven and a half millions of 
quarts of milk sent to New York city, the same year. Large 
quantities of wool and pork are produced. Considerable atten- 
tion is also paid to the raising of corn, oats, rye and buckwheat. 

Horticulture, and especially market gardening, is receiving 
increased attention. 

Manufactures also furnish employment to a considerable num- 
ber of the citizens of the county. The principal articles are cot- 
ton and woollen goods, flour, distilled and malt liquors, leather, 
iron, oil cloth and paper. In 1845, these amounted to nearly 
$2,000,000 in value. 

Newburgh has considerable commerce with New York. 
Much of the produce of the county is also transported to that 
city by means of the Delaware and Hudson canal and the Erie 
railroad. 

Mines. The iron mines in the towns of Monroe and Corn- 
wall, are scarcely surpassed in value by any others in the state. 
Iron mines were worked in the county as early as 1751. 

Staple Productions. Butter, milk, pork, wool, corn and oats. 

Schools. There are in the county 180 district school-houses. 
The average length of the schools, in 1846, was nine months. 
11,847 children received instruction, at a cost, for tuition, of 
$26,672. There were in the district libraries 27,629 volumes. 

In addition to these, there were in the county seventy-two private schools, with 
1335 scholars, eight academies, and one female seminary, with 528 pupils, and one 
military academy, with about 250 cadets. ' 

Religious Denominations. Presbyterians, Methodists, Dutch 
Reformed, Baptists, Friends, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics 
and Congregationalists. There are ninety churches and ninety- 
five clergymen of all denominations. 

History. It seems to be uncertain at what date the first set- 
tlements were made in this county ; but from the early date of 
the settlement at Esopus, (Kingston), in the adjacent county of 
Ulster, and the advantages afforded by the soil and surface of 
Orange, both to the agriculturalist and the trapper, it may be 
reasonably concluded, that the Dutch emigrants located them- 
selves in the county, at a very early period. 

In 1659, the mineral wealth of the county had been so far ex- 
plored that mines of copper were extensively wrought, probably 
either in Deerpark or Minisink. The ore was exported to Hol- 
land, and with it a large quantity of iron pyrites, which the in- 
habitants of the county mistook for gold. 

In 1669 a bloody battle was fought, in the town of Minisink, 
between the whites and Indians. 

The county was organized in 1683, and then included Rock- 



ORANGE COUNTY. 195 

land. A delegate from the county sat in the colonial house of 
assembly, organized for the first time that year. 

In 1689 the citizens embraced the cause of Leisler, and sent 
deputies to a convention called by him. Under the colonial 
government the delegates from Orange county were remarka- 
ble for their firm adherence to the principles of liberty. At the 
commencement of the revolution, a majority of the people em- 
barked with zeal in the cause of their country. 

Early in the revolution, Forts Clinton and Montgomery were 
erected, by the Americans, in the southeast part of this county. 
They were separated from each other by a small stream, the 
boundary line between two towns ; Fort Clinton being in Mon- 
roe, and Fort Montgomery in Cornwall. 

They wei e intended to prevent the British from ascending 
the river, and in addition to other obstructions in the river, an 
iron chain was extended from Fort Montgomery to a point on 
the opposite side, in the county of Putnam. These fortifications 
were under the command of Gen. Israel Putnam. 

In October, 1777, Sir Henry Clinton, being determined to af- 
ford succor to General Burgoyne, ascended the river with a 
force of more than 3000 troops, attacked and carried by storm 
both these forts, after a brave and prolonged resistance on the 
part of the garrison (which consisted of only 600 men), and, 
breaking the chain, proceeded up the river. The British lost m 
this attack about 250 men, and the garrisons nearly the same 
number. 

The ensuing year the fort and batteries at West point, (a 
much more eligible position) were erected,* and a larger chain 
stretched across the Hudson, from that fortress to Constitution 
Island, under the direction of Captain Machin. 

The construction of the fort and batteries was entrusted, it is 
said, to French engineers, belonging to the army of Count Ro- 
chambeau. The work was superintended by Kosciusko, a Polish 
nobleman, of thorough military education, whose love of liberty 
had led him to espouse the cause of our country. 

After the erection of this fortress, and the extension of the 
new chain across the river, the British never attempted to pass 
it. The possession of so important a post, was to them, how- 
ever, an object of great solicitude ; and, in 1780, they had well 
nigh accomplished it. The command of it had been assigned to 

* The site of the fert at West Point was selected by General Putnam, and 
the first ground broken for the fortification in January, 1778, by General Par- 
sons, when the snow lay on the earth two feet deep. It was mainly by the 
strenuous exertions and great personal popularity of Gov. George Clinton, that 
tiie materials for its construction were obtained. 



196 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

General Arnold, in the autumn of 1779, and it was here that hig 
infamous treason was consummated. Suitable measures were 
taken, after the discovery of his treachery, to secure it. 

In July, 1779, a party of Indians and tories, under Brant, made 
an attack on the village of Minisink, burning ten houses and 
several other buildings, and killing and capturing a number of 
the inhabitants. Those who were able to escape tied to Goshen ; 
where the militia of that and the adjacent towns soon collected, 
to pursue the enemy, and recapture the prisoners and spoils. 

Aware of the subtle character of his foe, Colonel Tusten, 
their commander, opposed the pursuit, until a larger force should 
be collected ; but his prudent foresight was regarded as cow- 
ardice, and it was decided to proceed immediately. The wary 
Brant had expected pursuit ; and, when he ascertained that the 
militia were approaching, he stationed a part of his troops in am- 
buscade in such a position, as to enable him to surround them. 

Thus hemmed in by a superior force, this unfortunate band 
fought bravely, but in vain; death met them on every side; and 
of about 180 men, in the full vigor of life, who started upon that 
expedition, but thirty escaped from the tomahawks of the enemy. 
Most of these were from the principal families of the county. 
Goshen, in particular, suffered severely ; forty-four of her best 
citizens being slain. A monument was erected to their memory 
on the anniversary of the battle, July 22, 1822. 

The American army, never well supplied, either with food or 
clothing, during the revolution, were, at its close, in a state of 
great destitution. They were paid in a depreciated and almost 
worthless currency, and the apathy of congress, in delaying to 
make suitable provisions to reward their toils and sacrifices, 
disposed them to revolt. 

To prevent so dangerous an event, and at the same time to 
secure justice for his suffering troops, Washington remained 
with them in winter quarters at Newburgh, during the winter 
of 17S2-3. The house which he occupied, as his head quarters, 
is yet standing, and is now the residence of the Hasbrouck 
family. 

The officers of the army, early in the winter, addressed a 
memorial to congress, stating their necessities, and asking for 
just compensation. Early in March, 1783, a communication 
was received from their committee, informing them that their 
requests had not been granted. 

On the 10th of March, an anonymous notice was circulated, 
calling a meeting of the officers on the following day, " to see 
what measures should be adopted to obtain that redress of 
grievances which they seem to have solicited in vain." 



ORANGE COUNTY. 197 

The same day an anonymous paper, written with extraordi- 
nary ability, and admirably calculated to excite the passions and 
rouse the indignation of the officers, against the continental 
congress, was put in circulation. 

The writer,— professing to be himself a sharer in their suffer- 
ings, depicted, in strong terms, their deplorable condition, and 
the shameful negligence of congress; and exhorted them "to 
suspect the man who would advise to more moderation and 
longer forbearance," to threaten the congress in the event of 
pea'ce, with civil war— and, if war continued, with an abandon- 
ment of their country to its fate. 

This eloquent, but dangerous paper (written, as was subse- 
quently ascertained, by Major John Armstrong, afterward secre- 
tary of war, at the instigation of General Gates,) had well nigh 
produced the most serious consequences. It required all Wash- 
ington's prudence and firmness to check the rising spirit of rebel- 
lion incited by it. 

To prevent the ill effects of a meeting, assembling under the 
influence of so much excitement, he issued a general order, dis- 
approving of the meeting on the 11th, and calling one on the 
15th of March. 

The anonymous writer seized on this incident, to address an- 
other letter to the officers,* insinuating that the commander-in- 
chief sympathized in their views, and was only restrained, by 
motives of delicacy, from openly expressing that sympathy. 

This opinion Washington labored privately to remove, by 
conversation with the officers, and, at the meeting on the 15th, 
General Gates being in the chair, he openly canvassed the prop- 
ositions contained in the anonymous address, showed their 
folly and wickedness, and so far changed the current of popular 
opinion, that the officers voted unanimously, that " they viewed 
with abhorrence, and would reject with disdain, the infamous 
propositions" contained in that address. Thus narrowly did the 
country escape the horrible calamity of anarchy and civil war. 

Villages. Newburgh, the larger of the two shire villages of 
the county, was first settled by German emigrants, in 1701, and 
named by them from Ne wburgh , in Germany. T he bank of the 
Hudson, on which it is situated, is quite steep, rising 300 feet in 
a short distance. When seen from the river, the village pre- 
sents a fine appearance. 

It has many neat public and private buildings, and considera- 
ble trade ; although a portion of that, which formerly centred 
here, now reaches New York by the New York and Erie rail- 
road, and the Delaware and Hudson canal. Two or three 

' This and the preceding address are usually termed the " Newburgh letters." 



198 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

steamboats, and several sloops and schooners, ply regularly be- 
tween the village and New York, It has a flourishing academy, 
a high school, and two i'emale seminaries. 

In the village and town, are eighteen or twenty manufacto- 
ries. The steam cotton mill, at the village, is said, in extent 
and perfection, to equal any single cotton mill in the United 
States. Population about 6000. 

Goshen, the other hali L shire village, is justly celebrated for 
the product of its dairies. The New York and Erie railroad 
passes through it. The Farmer's Hall academy is a flourishing 
chartered institution, and has a female seminary connected with 
it. Population about 1000. 

Middletown, in the town of Wallkill, is a new and flourishing 
village, on the line of the railroad. It has a large iron foundry. 
Population about 1400. 

West Point, in the town of Cornwall, is worthy of notice, not 
only lor its important fortress, to which we have already ad- 
verted, but as the seat of the United States Military Academy, 
established here, in March, 1S02. The object of this institution, 
is to prepare young men for officers in the army. 

The course of instruction is very thorough, the discipline 
rigid, and the examinations severe. The months of July and 
August, in each year, are devoted solely to military exercises ; 
for which purpose, the cadets leave their barracks, and encamp 
in tents on the plain, under the regular police and discipline of 
an army, in time of war. 

The ; ourse of study comprises, the Latin and French lan- 
guages, an extended course of mathematics, civil engineering, 
and the art of fortification. The term of study is four years ; 
and so rigorous are the examinations and discipline, that only 
about one third of those who enter, complete the course of 
study, and graduate. The number of instructors is thirty-four ; 
of cadets, about 250. They are entirely supported by the United 
States government. 

Three monuments have been erected here ; one to the mem- 
ory of the Polish hero Kosciusko, whose garden is still shown 
on the premises ; another to Colonel Wood, an early graduate 
of the institution, who fell at the sortie of Fort Erie, in 1814; 
and a third, to the deceased officers and cadets of the academy. 
Population of the village, about 900. 

Canterbury, in the town of Cornwall, and Montgomery, in the 
town of the same name, are thriving villages, and are engaged, 
to some extent, in manufactures. 

Walden, in Montgomery, is a manufacturing village. Ches- 
ter, in the town of the same name, is a noted mart for the sale 
of live stock. Here, too, is an academy of some reputation. 



XL MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 

Square Miles, 356. Popuation, 29,643. 



Organized, 171 



Validation, 1845, $3,696,270. 




TOWNS. 

6. Minden, 179S. 

7. Glen, 1S23. 

8. Root, 1823. 

9. Mohawk, 1837. 
10. St. Johnsville, 1837. 

Range, e. Anthony's Nose. f. Flint 



1. Canajoharie, 178S. 

2. Charleston, 1788. 

3. Palatine, 1788. 

4. Amsterdam, 1793. 

5. Florida, 1793. 
Mountains. J J. Au Sable 

Hill. j. Otsquaga Hills. 
Rivers and Creeks. F. Mohawk River. AA. Schoharie Creek, b. 

Cayaduta. c. Bowman's or Canajoharie. d. Otsquaga. h. East 

Canada, i. Garoga. 
Battle Field. Stone Arabia. 
Villages. Fonda. Amsterdam. Canajoharie. Fort Plain. 



Boundaries. North by Fulton ; East by Saratoga and Sche- 
nectady ; South by Schenectady, Schoharie and Otsego ; and 
West by Herkimer, counties. 

Surface. Hilly and somewhat mountainous. The valley of 
the Mohawk forms the central portion of the county, while on 
the north and south, the hills attain a considerable elevation. 
The Au Sable range enters the county from the north, and 
forms, on the banks of the Mohawk, the peak known as Antho- 
ny's Nose. Crossing the river, this range terminates in the 
town of Root. 

Flint hill occupies the southeastern part, bordering on Sche- 



200 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

nectady county. In the southwest are the Otsquaga hills. 
The valleys of the Mohawk, and some of its tributaries, spread 
out in fertile alluvial plains or flats. 

Rivers. The county is well watered. The Mohawk river, 
East Canada, Schoharie, Bowman's, Otsquaga, Garoga and 
Cayaluta creeks, are the principal streams. 

Canals and Railroads. The Erie canal runs along the 
south side of the Mohawk, and the Utica and Schenectady rail- 
road upon the north. 

The climate resembles that of the valley of the Mohawk 
generally. It is mild and healthful. 

Geology and Minerals. The surface rocks of t 1 is county 
all belong to the transition formation. In the southern part, 
the Lorraine shales, and Hudson river group, (the Taconic sys- 
tem of Prof. Emmons,) are predominant. Along the Mohawk, 
the Utica slate prevails, and is accompanied by a narrow tract 
of the Trenton limestone. North of this, the- Onondaga salt 
rocks are seen on the surface. 

Pearl spar, calc spar, sulphate of barytes, calcareous tufa, brown spar, quartz 
crystals, agate, chalcedony, garnet, sulphurets of zinc and lead, and oxide of tita- 
nium, are the principal minerals. As yet, none of these have been obtained in 
sufficient quantities to be of any practical value. In the town of Root, is a large 
cavern, called Mitchell's cave, containing fourteen apartments, some of them 500 
feet below the surface, and profusely adorned with stalactites and stalagmites. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally 
productive, consisting of a gravelly or clayey loam, frequently 
mingled with disintegrated lime or slate. Grass and grains of 
all descriptions flourish. The forests arj composed chiefly of 
oak, beech, ash, maple, and hemlock. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the leading pursuit of the inhabi- 
tants. Considerable grain is raised, and much attention paid 
to the products of the dairy. 

The manufactures of the county are limited, consisting mainly 
of flour, distilled liquors, leather, and woollen goods. 

The commerce of the county is confined to the transportation 
of its produce upon the Erie canal, and the Utica and Schenec- 
tady railroad. 

Staple Productions. Oats, corn, barley, potatoes, butter, 
cheese and wool. 

Schools. In 1846, there were in the county 118 public schools, 
with 8604 scholars. The annual term of instruction in these 
schools averaged nine months, and the amount expended for 
tuition was $15,369. The district libraries contained 18,043 
volumes. 

There were also in the county, eleven select schools, with 135 pupils; three 
academies, and one female seminary, with 214 students. 



MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 201 

Religious Denominations. Dutch Reformed, Methodists, 
Presbyterians, Baptists. Universalists, Episcopalians, Unitari- 
ans, and Friends. There are in the count) 7 forty-three churches, 
and forty-six clergymen of all denominations. 

History. The English Episcopalians commenced missions 
among the Mohawks in this county as early as 1702. The first 
settlements were made in 1713, or about that time, by German 
emigrants, a portion of the same band who settled Schoharie 
county, and by other persons from Albany and Schenectady 
counties. 

It had been the home of the Mohawks, whose three castles 
were all, it is believed, within the limits of this county. In Jan- 
uary, 1693, the French, whose hatred to the Iroquois was invet- 
erate, made a descent upon these castles, and captured them all. 

The Indians at Schenectady sent to Albany for assistance to 
pursue the enemy. Colonel Peter Schuyler, the friend of the 
Indians, with a body of militia, started for the pursuit, overtook 
the French, and had a severe skirmish with them. The French 
lost fifty -nine in killed and wounded. It is related that the In- 
dians ate the bodies of the Frenchmen whom they killed. 

Fort Hunter, a somewhat important military post in early 
times, was erected in 1710, at the junction of the Mohawk and 
Schoharie rivers, in the town of Florida, by Capt. John Scott. 
A chapel was erected near the fort which was endowed by 
Queen Anne, and hence called Queen Anne's chapel. A stone 
parsonage was also erected near it, to which was attached a 
glebe of 300 acres, the gift of the Indians. 

The fort having become dilapidated at the time of the Revo- 
lution, the chapel was fortified, and called Fort Hunter. It 
was taken down about the year 1820, to make room for the Erie 
canal. 

The first settlement in the town of Amsterdam was made in 
1716, by the widow and children of Philip Groat of Rotterdam, 
who was drowned in the Mohawk, near Schenectady, on his 
way thither. 

In 1722, colonies had been extended along the Mohawk as far 
as the German Fiats, in the county of Herkimer ; but few of the 
settlers, however, had located far from the river. 

The subsequent growth and prosperity of the present county 
of Montgomery, are due, in a great measure, to the enterprise 
of Sir William Johnson.* 

* This extraordinary man was born in Ireland, in 1714, of highly respectable pa- 
rentage. His uncle, Admiral Warren, had acquired a title to a tract of some 
15,000 acres, in the present town of Florida, and sent young Johnson over to act 
as his agent for the disposal of it, about the year 1735. 

Soon after arriving in the colony, he was appointed by the British Government, 



202 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

During the Revolution, this county, (then called Try on coun- 
ty, and embracing all that part of the state, lying east of a meri- 
dian, drawn through the centre of Schoharie county,) suffered 
severely from the repeated incursions of the tories and Indians, 
led by Sir John Johnson, the bloodthirsty Walter Butler, and 
the Mohawk chieftain Brant. 

Scarcely a settlement, on either side of the Mohawk, escaped 
partial or entire destruction; and tew families, who had es- 
poused the cause of their country, but were called to mourn 
over friends and relatives, inhumanly butchered by these sav- 
age warriors. Neither age nor sex were spared; neither 
beauty, wealth, accomplishments, nor amiability of character, 
served to shield the unfortunate settlers from the tomahawk 
and the scalping knife. 

The towns of Fort Plain, Canajoharie, Palatine, Glen, and 
Root suffered most severely ; many of those who escaped death, 
being carried into a long and distressing captivity. 

At Stone Arabia, a severe and bloody conflict took place in 
October, 1780, between Sir John Johnson, and the garrison of 
Fort Paris, (a stockade fort in Stone Arabia.) General Robert 
Van Rensselaer, of Claverack, (Columbia county,) was in the 
rear of the enemy, with a force of nearly 1000 men, and ordered 
Colonel Brown, the commander of the fort, to attack them in 
front, while he pressed upon their rear. 

agent for the Iroquois, or Six Nations. Havinjr acquired their language, and adopt- 
ed to a considerable extent their dress and habits, he soon obtained great influ- 
ence over thein, and was chosen one of their head sachems. This power he used 
in such a way as to secure their attachment to the British Government, and at 
the same time to advance his own personal interests. 

During the French wars, he was active as an officer, and in 1757, the troops under 
his command, at Lake George, having repulsed and defeated the French force un- 
der Baron Diesk.au, he was knighted by the King, and received a donation of 
.£5000 sterling. 

In 1759, General Prideaux being killed at the siege of Fort Niagara, Sir William, 
who was second in command, assumed.the direction of the forces, and carried the 
fortress. In 1760, he led a body of 1000 Indians against Montreal, and was active 
in an eminent station at the surrender of Canada. 

He was twice married. By his first wife, (a German woman.) he had one son 
and two daughters. His son succeeded to his title as Sir John Johnson. His 
daughters were married to Colonel Guy Johnson, (a distant relative of the bar- 
onet.) and to Colonel Daniel Claus. His second wife was Molly Brant, sister of 
the celebrated Mohawk chieftain, by whom he had several children. 

His first residence w T as in the town of Amsterdam, about three miles west of the 
village. It is a massive stone edifice, and is to this day called Fort Johnson. About 
ten years before his death, he erected a building, which he named Johnson Hall, 
within the limits of Fulton county, where he resided the remainder of his life. 

Fort Johnson, after this period, was occupied by his son, sir John Johnson. 
He also erected houses for his sons-in-law, Colonel Guy Johnson and Colonel 
Claus, in the town of Amsterdam. 

Sir William Johnson died very suddenly, in July, 1774, not without suspicion of 
suicide. 

His son and successor, as well as his sons-in law, and indeed his whole family, 
embraced the side of the British, in the Revolution. Sir John was the scourge of 
the Mohawk and Schoharie valleys, during that contest. After the Revolution, 
their estates were confiscated. 



MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 203 

Sir John's force did not amount to more than 500 men, while 
that of Colonel Brown was about 200, and had General Van 
Rensselaer fulfilled his part of the duty, the whole British force 
might have been captured ; but through his negligence and cow- 
ardice, if not treachery, the brave troops of Colonel Brown 
were suffered to contend, single handed, with the enemy, till 
they were nearly all slaughtered, while General Van Rensse- 
laer's troops were within hearing of the action, but w T ere not 
suffered by him, to afford aid to their suffering brethren, or to 
pursue the enemy, on their retreat, when, as was afterwards 
acknowledged by them, they w r ould have surrendered, had they 
had the opportunity. 

A relationship by marriage, which existed between General 
Van Rensselaer and Sir John Johnson, is supposed to have been 
the cause of this disgraceful conduct on the part of the former. 

Montgomery county received its present name, (in honor of 
the brave hero of Quebec,) in 1784, soon after which, a large 
portion of its territory was formed into other counties, and this 
process of curtailment has continued, till from being the largest, 
it has become one of the smallest counties in the state. 

Villages. Fonda, the county seat, is a small but pleasant 
village, in the town of Mohawk. It has some manufactures. 
Population 400. 

Amsterdam was incorporated in 1830. It is situated in the 
town of the same name, on the north bank of the Mohawk, and 
connected with the little village of Port Jackson, on the Erie 
canal, by a fine and substantial bridge. It has a flourishing 
academy, and female seminary, and several manufacturing es- 
tablishments. Population 1700. 

Canajoharie is a thriving village, in the town of the same 
name, located on the south bank of the Mohawk. It was incor- 
porated in 1829, and has a well conducted academy. Here is 
an extensive quarry, from whence is obtained an excellent qual- 
ity of limestone, much used in the construction of locks on the 
Erie Canal. The village is the proposed terminus of the Cats- 
kill and Canajoharie railroad, w T hich is partly finished. Popu- 
lation 1300. 

Fort Plain, in the town of Minden, w r as incorporated in 1834, 
and is a place of considerable business. Here too, are extensive 
limestone quarries. Population 1400. 

Caughnawaga, in the town of Mohawk, is principally worthy 
of notice for its stone church, now converted into an academy. 
This venerable building was erected in ]763, by voluntary con- 
tribution. 



XII. WASHINGTON COUNTY. 



Square miles, 807. 
Organized, 1772. 
Population, 40,554. 
Valuation, 1845, $5,991,84: 

TOWNS. 

1. Argyle, 1788. 

2. Cambridge, 1788. 

3. Easton, 1788. 
4- Fort Ann, 1788. 

5. Granville, 1788. 

6. Hampton, 1788. 

7. Hebron, 1788. 

8. Kingsbury, 17S8. 

9. Salem, 1788. 

10. Whitehall, 1788. 

11. Hartford, 1788. 

12. Greenwich, 1803. 

13. Putnam, 1806. 

14. White Creek, 1815. 

15. Jackson, 1815. 



Fort Edward, 1818. 
Dresden, 1822. 



10. 

17. 

Mountains. U. Taghkanic range. 
Y. Peterborough range, 1. 
French, or Luzerne mountains. 

Rivers, &fc. C. Hudson river, a. 
Wood creek, b. Pawlet river, 
c. Poultney, or Fair Haven riv- 
er, d. Batten kill. f. Black 
creek, g. White creek, k. 
Hoosick river, i. Moses kill. 

Falls. Baker's falls. Great falls. 

Lakes. W. Lake Champlain. 

X. Lake George, j. Big Pond. 
Forts. Fort Edward. Fort Ann. 
Rattle Fields. Kingsbury. Fort 

Ann. Whitehall. 
Villages. Salem, Sandy Hill, 

Fort Edward, Whitehall, Union 

village, White Creek. 




Boundaries. North by Essex county and the state of Ver- 
mont ; East by Vermont ; South by Rensselaer county ; West 
by Saratoga and Warren counties, and Lake George. 

Surface. Three distinct ranges of mountains are found in 



WASHINGTON COUNTY. 205 

this county ; viz. the Taghkanic, extending along its eastern 
boundary, with an average width of about five miles j the Peter- 
borough, with a variable height, running from north to south, 
through the centre of the county, broken through by the Hoo- 
sick, Pawlet, and Poultney rivers, and the Batten kill, and 
maintaining a breadth of from six to eight miles ; spurs of this 
ridge extend toward the river in Greenwich and Easton ; and 
lastly, the Palmertown range, here taking the name of French, 
or Luzerne mountains, and occupying the narrow peninsula 
which separates Lake George from Lake Champlain. 

These ranges, interspersed with occasional valleys, render 
the face of the county diversified a id picturesque. 

Rivers, &c. The county is abundantly watered. Beside 
the Hudson, the principal streams are, the Hoosick, Pawlet, 
and Poultney, or Fair Haven rivers, Batten kill, Wood creek, 
Moses kill, White and Owl creeks. 

Falls. Baker's falls, on the Hudson, have an almost per- 
pendicular descent of fifty feet, at the village of Sandy Hill. 
Great falls, on the Batten kill, have a total descent of sixty 
feet, in the towns of Easton and Greenwich. 

Lakes. Lakes George and Champlain form portions of the 
boundary of this county. Long Lake, in Argyle, is three or four 
miles in length. 

Canals. The Champlain canal crosses the Hudson at Green- 
wich, and connects with Lake Champlain at Whitehall, fur- 
nishing 32 miles of navigation in this county. 

Climate. Cold, but healthful. The spring opens some two 
weeks later than in Orange, Dutchess, and the lower counties 
on the Hudson. 

Geology and Minerals. The northern part of the county is 
primitive, and the underlying rock chiefly granite. On the 
shores f the lakes there is an admixture, and apparent confu- 
sion of all the formations, probably the result of some convul- 
sion of nature. In the southern part of the county, the rocks 
are principally transition, intermixed with occasional patches of 
primitive. Limestone, graywacke, and slate, alternate upon 
the surface in this section. 

Magnetic and hematitic iron ore, marl, lime, marble, water lime, graphite, lam- 
ellar pyroxene, massive feldspar, and epidote, are the principal minerals of the 
county. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally 
good, and produces fine crops of wheat, but is better adapted to 
grazing than the culture of grain. The principal timber is oak, 
hickory, chestnut, maple, butternut, pine, and hemlock. 

Pursuits. The people are, for the most part, engaged in ag- 
ricultural pursuits. Oats, corn, flax, and potatoes are largely 
10 



206 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

raised, and considerable quantities of wheat, rye, and barley. 
Butter, cheese, wool, and pork are produced in great abundance. 
In the quantity of wool grown, it was, in 1845, the second 
county in the state. 

Manufactures are increasing in importance. Flour, lumber, 
cotton and woollen goods, leather, and iron, are the principal 
articles manufactured. 

Commerce. The Champlain and Hudson canal affords a con- 
venient mode of transportation to the produce of the county, 
which is well improved. The tolls received on produce pass- 
ing through this county in 1845, were about $70,000. 

Staple Productions. The staples of the county are pota- 
toes, oats, corn, flax, butter, cheese, wool, and pork. 

Schools. The county contained, in 1846, 246 district school- 
houses, in which were taught 13,414 children, at an expense of 
$16,950 for tuition. The schools were maintained, on an aver- 
age, eight months each. Number of volumes in the district 
libraries, 27,656. 

It had also twenty-two select schools, with 327 scholars, and five academies, 
with 345 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Presbyterians, Methodists, Bap- 
tists, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, and 
Universalists. Churches, eighty-eight. Clergymen, seventy- 
two. 

History. The first settlement in the county was made at 
Argyle, in 1742, by eighty-three families of Highlanders, who 
emigrated from Scotland, under the direction of Capt. Laughlin 
Campbell, who had obtained a grant of 30,000 acres from Gov- 
ernor Clarke. These emigrants were intended to serve as 
defenders of the frontier, from incursions of the French and 
Indians. 

As they were scantily provided with food and clothing, appli- 
cation was made to the colonial legislature for aid, till they 
should be able to sustain themselves. This the house of assem- 
bly refused to grant, on the ground, it is said, that they had 
discovered that the Governor and Surveyor General insisted 
upon their fees and a share of the lands. 

Captain Campbell sought redress, but in vain, and with the 
remnant of his fortune, purchased a small farm in the province. 
His unfortunate followers were rescued from starvation,, by en- 
listing in an expedition against Carthagena^ 

In 1755, Fort Edward was erected, by Generals Lyman and 
Johnson, and in 1756, Fort Ami. 

Salem was settled the same year, by two companies of emi- 
grants, one from Scotland and Ireland, the other from New 



WASHINGTON COtJNTY. 207 

England. In 1764, Alexander Turner and others, who had re- 
ceived a grant in 1761, settled in the town of Salem. Not far 
from the same period, settlements were made in Kingsbury. 

In 1758, an obstinate and bloody battle occurred, between a 
body of 500 American troops, under the command of Major 
(afterwards General,) Putnam and Major Rogers, and a party 
of French and Indians, under the command of a French officer, 
by the name of Molaire. The battle ground was two miles 
north o^ the village of Kingsbury. 

The French commander had stationed a part of his troops in 
ambuscade for the Americans, and hoped to surprise them ; but 
Putnam, with the coolness which always characterized him, 
maintained his position, and a fearful conflict ensued. Putnam 
was taken captive by the Indians, but the bravery of the Ameri- 
can troops prevailed, and they finally routed the enemy, who 
left ninety dead behind them. The Indians bore off Putnam aa 
a prisoner, to Canada, inflicting on him the most cruel tortures ; 
and but for the interposition of the French commander, would 
have burned him at the stake. 

In May, 1775, Whitehall, then called Skenesborough, from 
its first settler, Major Skene, was seized by a detachment of 
volunteers from Connecticut. In 1777, the American force sta- 
tioned there, not being sufficient to protect it against Burgoyne, 
the fort, stores, and a large number of batteaux loaded with 
provisions, were burned by the Americans, to prevent their fall- 
ing into his hands. 

In July, 1777, a severe skirmish took place at Fort Ann, be- 
tween the 8th British regiment and a body of 400 or 500 invalid 
American troops, under the command of Colonel Long. The 
British suffered severely, and would have been taken or de- 
stroyed but for the want of ammunition on the part of the 
Americans. 

On the 27th of July, 1777, Miss Jane McCrea was murdered 
by the Indians near Fort Edward.* 

* The following version of this tragical affair is compiled from Neilson's "Bur* 
goyne's Campaign," and is professedly derived from the most authentic sources, 
It will be seen that it differs materially from the accounts heretofore published. 

Miss McCrea was the daughter of a New Jersey clergyman, and had come, some 
years before, to reside with her brother on the west bank of the Hudson, five or 
six miles below Fort Edward. David Jones, her suitor, resided about five miles 
above, on the same side of the river. He had embraced the royal cause, and was 
in the army of Burgoyne. On the 26th of July, 1777, Miss McCrea came from her 
brother's to the house of Peter Freel, who lived close under the walls of Fort Ed- 
ward, on a visit. She remained there over night, and the next morning went to 
the house of Mrs. McNeil, afterwards Mrs. Campbell, a cousin of General Frazer, 
who was at that time in Burgoyne's army. This house was at a distance of about 
eighty rods from the fort. While at the house of Mrs. McNeil, the commander 
of the fort sent out a party of fifty men, to reconnoitre the position of the enemy. 
When about a mile fiom the fort, this party fell into an ambuscade of Indians, about 



208 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Villages. Sandy Hill, in the town of Kingsbury, is a half 
shire village of this county. It was incorporated in 1810. The 
village is well laid out, the streets enclosing a triangular area 
in the centre of the village, which was once the scene of Indian 
barbarities. The Hudson furnishes an immense water power 
which is but partially improved. Population 1200. 

Salem, the other half shire village, was incorporated in 1803. 
It is situated in the midst of a fertile agricultural region, and is 
celebrated as a mart for wool. The Washington Academy is 
an old institution, and has sent out a considerable number of 
eminent scholars. Population 800. 

Whi ehall, in the town of the same name, is eligibly situated 
at the foot of Lake Champlain, of which it is one of the princi- 
pal ports. It is connected with the Hudson river by means of 
the Champlain canal, as well as by several lines of stages run- 
ning to Troy, Albany, and Saratoga; and with Montreal by 
steamers which ply daily upon the lake. Thus favorably situ- 
ated for commerce, its growth has been rapid and healthful. 
Population about 25 . 

Union Village, situated in the towns of Greenwich andEas- 
ton, is a thriving and pleasant manufacturing village, with a 
flourishing academy, and a number of large manufactories. 
Population 1400. 

North White jCreek is a pleasant village, in the town of White 
Creek, in the midst of an agricultural region. It is a great mart 
for wool. Population 750. 

Cambridge, in the town of the same name, is the seat of 
Washington Academy, a flourishing and highly popular insti- 
tution. 

Fort Edward and Fort Ann ox q small villages, worthy of no- 
tice principally on account of their historic interest. 

200 in number, and fled towards the fort. The Indians pursued and killed eight- 
een of their number. As they passed the house of Mrs. McNeil, six of the In- 
dians rushed in and seized Mrs. McNeil and Miss McCrea, and hurried with them 
to the main body of the Indians. Both of the ladies were placed upon horses, 
which they had probably stolen from the vicinity. 

As they ascended a hill about a mile from the fort, Miss McCrea was shot by one 
of the Indians, and fell from her horse. The savage who shot her, scalped her, 
and having secured the most valuable articles of her clothing, rolled her body 
down the declivity of the hill. On the ensuing day her body, and that of a young 
American officer who had also been killed by the Indians, were found and buried 
neara small creek about three miles from Fort Edward, by the Americans from 
the fort. Mrs. McNeil was not killed, but plundered of most of her clothing, and 
brought to the British camp. Jones, Miss McCrea's suitor, had never sent for her, 
nor is it certain that he knew that she was in the vicinity of the fort. He is re- 
ported to have been killed at the battle of Beniis' Heights, on the 19th of Septem- 
ber following. 



XIII. COLUMBIA COUNTY. 



Square miles. 6-24. 
Organized, 1786. 



Population, 41,416. 
Valuation, 1845, $8,925,423. 




210 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

TOWNS. 

1. Hudson, 1785. 11. Taghkanic, 1803. 

2. Canaan, 1788. 12. Austerlitz, 1818. 

3. Claverack, 1788. 13. Ghent, 1818. 

4. Clermont, 1788. 14. New Lebanon, 1818. 

5. Germantown, 1788. 15. Stuyvesant, 1823. 

6. Hillsdale, 1788. 16. Copake, 1S24. 

7. Kinderkook, 1788. 17. Gallatin, 1830. 

8. Livingston, 1788. 18. Stockport, 1833. 

9. Chatham, 1795. 19. Greenport, 1839. 
10. Ancram, 1803. 

Mountains. U. Taghkanic range. 

Rivers and Creeks. C. Hudson river, b. Claverack creek, c. Co- 
pake, d. Ancram. g. Roeliff Jansen's. h. Vallitje. i. Kinder- 
hook. 

Falls. Kinderhook falls. 

Lakes and Ponds, k. Copake lake. 1. Charlotte. m. Fish, 
j. Whiting's pond. 

Villages. Hudson". Kinderhook. New Lebanon. Valatie, or 
Vallitje. Columbiaville. 

Boundaries. North by Rensselaer county ; East by the state 
of Massachusetts and Dutchess county ; South by Dutchess 
county ; and West by the Hudson river. 

Surface. The surface of Columbia county is greatly varied, 
but may be regarded as composed of two long and broken val- 
leys, on the east of which the Taghkanic range forms a natural 
boundary between the county and the state of Massachusetts ; 
the high banks of the Hudson form the western boundary, and 
the Peterborough mountains constitute the dividing ridge 
through the centre of the county. 

The western valley rises on the north and south, causing its 
waters to flow towards the centre ; while the eastern, being 
highest in the centre, sends its streams north and south. The 
western valley being much the broadest, gives the county the 
form of a basin, retaining all the waters that rise in it, and dis- 
charging them into the Hudson, through the Kinderhook and 
Roeliff Jansen's creeks. 

Rivers. The Hudson is the principal river; the other 
streams of the county are Kinderhook, Claverack, Copake, 
Roeliff Jansen's and Vallitje creeks. 

Lakes. Fish, Whiting's pond, Copake and Charlotte, are 
the only lakes worthy of notice. 

Railroads. The Hudson and Berkshire, and the Great 
Western railroad pass through the county ; and the route of 
the Harlaem railroad is laid out through it. 

Climate. The climate varies with the surface. In the val- 
leys it is mild and pleasant, with early seasons; on the moun- 



COLUMBIA COUNTY. 211 

tains, it is colder and more backward. The county is regarded 
as very healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. The Taghkanic mountains, in the 
eastern part ol the county, are primitive, and composed mainly 
of granite, and gra u lar limestone. The remainder of the 
county is transition, and its principal rocks are gray wacke and 
blue limestone, below which, for the most part, lies a bed of 
slate. 

The minerals are, iron ore of superior quality, lead ore, sulphuret of copper, 
oxide of manganese, sulphuret of zinc, heavy spar, peat, marl and marble. 
There are several mineral springs, both sulphurous and chalybeate, in the county. 
Those at Lebanon are much frequented, and considered as possessing valuable 
medicinal properties.* The sulphur springs in the town of Stockport are attract- 
ing considerable attention. 

Soil and Vegetaele Productions. Portions of the county 
are highly fertile, while others are less productive. The marl 
and lime which abound in the county, furnish ample means for 
enriching it, to the highest degree of productiveness. The 
timber of the county is principally pitch pine, hickory, oak, ma- 
ple, elm and chestnut. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the leading pursuit. Much atten- 
tion is given to the culture of grain and the rearing of cattle. 
The growth of wool is very large. 

Manufactures are also an important pursuit in the county. 
The principal articles are cotton and woollen fabrics, including 
prints, flour, iron and brass w T are. 

Commerce. An active trade is carried on from Hudson and 
the other river towns of the county, with New York and other 
home ports, employing a number of steamers, sloops and 
barges. The produce of the inland towns finds its way to a 
market by the railroads. 

Mines. There are some iron mines in the county. 

Staple Productions. Oats, potatoes, corn, rye, butter, 
cheese and wool. 

Schools. In 1846, there were in the county, 184 district 
school-houses, in which schools were taught, an average period 
of nine months. 11,275 scholars received instruction, at an ex- 
pense for tuition, of about $22,038. The district libraries num- 
bered 22,540 volumes. 

Tliere were, the same year, in the county, twenty-six select schools, with 435 
pupils, and four academies with 238 students. 

* The following is the late Dr. Meade's analysis of the waters of the New 
Lebanon spring. 

Two quarts of water contain grs. 

Muriate of lime, 1 

Of gases. Nitrogen gas, 13 cubic inches. Muriate of soda, (common salt,) 1 3-4 

Atmospheric air, 8 " " Sulphate of lime, 11-2 

— Carbonate of lime, 3-4 

21 



212 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Dutch Reformed, 
Baptists, Presbyterians, Friends, Episcopalians, Jews, Luther- 
ans, Shakers, Universalists, Congregationalists, Unitarians, 
and Roman Catholics, i he whole number of churches is sev- 
enty-four ; of clergymen, sixty. 

History. This county was originally a portion of two man- 
ors. The manor of Rensselaerwyck included all except the 
seven southernmost towns, which constituted the manor of Liv- 
ingston, granted in 16S4, 1685, and 1686, and confirmed to the 
proprietor in 1714. 

In 1710, a company of seventy German families, part of those 
sent over by Queen Anne, settled in the present town of Ger- 
mantown, which they called East Camp. In 1725, an arrange- 
ment having been made between George I. and the proprietor 
of the Livingston manor, a tract of 6000 acres was secured to 
them, of which forty acres were to be reserved for the use of a 
church and school, and the remainder divided equally among 
the inhabitants. 

The other six towns, Clermont, Livingston, Taghkanic, Gal- 
latin, Copake, and Ancram, still constitute the Livingston 
manor. The leases are generally long, and ents payable 

in produce. The northern tjvvi s, mostly belong to the manor 
of Rensselaerwyck. 

Difficulties have frequently occurred between the proprietors 
of these manors and their tenants. In 1766, the military forces 
were called out to quell the disturbances in the town of Clav- 
erack, in the Rensselaer manor, and a conflict ensued in which 
several lives were lost. Similar occurrences have taken place 
within a year or two past. 

The county was mostly settled by Swedish and Dutch emi- 
grants, with the exception of Germantown, already mentioned, 
and Hudson, which was founded in 1783, by enterprising citizens 
of Rhode Island and Nantucket. 

The manorial system has perhaps prevented, in some degree, 
the full development of the capabilities of the county j yet it has, 
with slight exceptions, uniformly enjoyed a high degree of pros- 
perity. 

Villages. Hudson city, the capital of he county, i pleas- 
antly situated on the banks of the Hudson, here about fifty 
feet above the level of the river. It was formerly largely en- 
gaged in commerce, but the interests of this, as well as all our 
other commercial ports, were greatly injured by the action of 
the French and English, relative to neutral vessels, and the 
coarse necessarily adopted by our government in return, prior 
to the late war with Great Britain. 

After recovering from the severe losses occasioned* by these 
events, the citizens of Hudson engaged in the whale fishery, 



COLUMBIA COUNTY. 213 

but with indifferent success. The coasting trade is prosecuted 
to some extent. 

There are some manufactories here, principally of sperm oil 
and candles, malt liquors, iron, and carriages. The Hudson 
Academy is an old chartered institution, and the Hudson Female 
Seminary, is a new and flourishing school. The Hudson Luna- 
tic Asylum is a private institution, but well conducted, and en- 
joying a large amount of patronage. 

The city is supplied with excellent water, by means of an 
aqueduct. The Hudson and Berkshire railroad adds materially 
to the business facilities of the city. Population, 5,657. 

Valatie is an important manufacturing village, in the town of 
Kinderhook, situated at the junction of the Valatie (a corruption 
of Vallitje) and Kinderhook creeks; here are four large cotton 
mills, two iron foundries, and several other manufactories. 
Population, 1600. 

Kinderhiok village, in the town of the same name, is delight- 
fully situated on a plain, five miles east of the Hudson. It has 
several manufactories, and a flourishing incorporated academy. 
It is the birth place of ex-President Van Buren, and his beauti- 
ful country seat, Lindenwald, is about two miles south of the 
village. Population, 1500. 

Columbiaville, in the town of Stockport, is a manufacturing 
village of some importance. Its manufactures consist mainly 
of cotton sheetings. The Hudson River Seminary, a manual 
labor institution, is located here. There are in the town of 
Stockport, several other manufacturing villages. The principal 
are Glencadia, Springville, Hudson Print Works, and Chitten- 
den's Falls. 

New Lebanon Shaker Village, in the town of New Lebanon, 
called by the inhabitants the " Village of the Millennial Church," 
is situated on the west side of the Taghkanic mountains. This 
is one of the largest settlements of this singular people. They 
have here a very large church, arched over throughout its en- 
tire extent ; ten dwelling houses for their families, or commu- 
nities, which consist of from 60 to 150 persons each, and nu- 
merous workshops and manufactories. Their grounds are 
highly cultivated, and their society prosperous and wealthy. 
This settlement was founded a few years after that at Neskayu- 
na, noticed under Albany county. Population about 600. 

Two and a half miles from this village, are the New Lebanon 
springs, which are a fashionable resort for invalids and pleasure 
seekers, during the summer ; the scenery here is very delightful. 

10* 



XIV. CLINTON COUNTY. 



Square miles, 933. 
Organized, 1788. 



Population, 31,278. 
Valuation, 1845, $1,666,140. 




1. Pittsburgh, 1735. 

2. Champlain, 1788. 

3. Peru, 1792. 

4. Chazy, 1804. 

5. Mooers, 1804. 

6. Beekmantown, 1820. 



TOWNS. 

7. Ellenburgh, 1830. 

8. Saranac, 1834. 

9. Au Sable, 1837. 

10. Blackbrook, 1837. 

11. Clinton, 1842. 



CLINTON COUNTY. 215 

Mountains. JJ. Au Sable range. GG. Chateaugay. 1. Lyon, 
m. Rand Hill. 

Rivers, a. Great Chazy. b. Little Chazy. c. English, d. Sal- 
mon, e. Little Au Sable, i. Au Sable, j. Saranac. 

Falls. Sheffield. 

Lakes. W. Lake Champlain. g. Chateaugay. h. Chazy. 

Battle Fields. Plattsburgh. Lake Champlain. 

Villages. Pla.ttsbur.gh. Chazy. Redford. Clinton. Peru. 

Boundaries. North by Canada East ; East by Lake Cham- 
plain; South by Essex county ; and West by Franklin county. 

Surface. A plain, about eight miles in width, extends along 
the eastern border of this county, inclining gently to Lake 
Champlain. West of this, the surface becomes hilly and 
broken, giving rise to the Au Sable range of mountains ; still 
farther west, the Chateaugay, which have their origin in Can- 
ada, rear their lofty and wooded ridges. Their course is from 
north-east to south-west. 

Rivers. The principal rivers in the comity are the Au Sa- 
ble, Saranac, Great Chazy, Little Chazy, English, Salmon, 
and Little Au Sable. 

Falls. The Au Sable has a number of falls within a few 
miles of its mouth. At Birmingham, the water plunges over a 
precipice eighty feet in height, and then flows through a ravine 
of two miles in length, and an average width of fifty feet, with 
perpendicular walls of granite l'rom seventy-five to 150 feet 
high. The Saranac has also a number of falls, three of them 
exceeding in perpendicular descent, forty feet each. 

Lakes. Lake Champlain washes the eastern border of the 
county. The other principal lakes are Chateaugay and Chazy. 

Climate. In common with the northern counties generally, 
it has a rigorous climate. The winters are long, and snow falls 
to a great depth. 

Geology and Mineralogy. The county is wholly of primi- 
tive formation, except a narrow strip of limestone, along the 
shore of the lake. Hypersthene, granite and gneiss, are the 
prevailing rocks. 

Iron is the most abundant and valuable mineral. Both bog and magnetic ores 
occur in large quantities. Black marble is found near Plattsburgh, of excellent 
quality. Peat is very plentiful. In Beekmantovvn, is a sulphur spring, and also 
one of carbonated water. 

Soil and Vegetaele Productions. In the level section upon 
the lake, the soil is principally a clayey loam, and is very pro- 
ductive. As the country rises, it becomes less fertile. 

The summer crops are best adapted to the soil. 

The forests are covered with a dense growth of timber, of oak, pine, maple, 
hemlock, &c. Large quantities of sugar are produced from the maple. 



216 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Pursuits. The inhabitants are for the most part engaged in 
agricultural pursuits. Some grain is raised, but the rearing of 
cattle and sheep is a more favorite and profitable business. 
The preparation of lumber for market also furnishes employ- 
ment to many of the citizens. 

Manufactures are increasing in importance, but are, at pres- 
ent, chiefly limited to the manufacture of pig and bar iron, nails, 
glass, flour, lumber, and woollen goods. 

Commerce. The shipping of the Champlain district amount- 
ed, in 1845, to 3192 tons, the greater part of which is owned in 
this county. Several steamers ply on the lake, as well as 
sloops, schooners, &c. 

Mines. There are extensive iron mines in the county. The 
marble quarries, near Plattsburgh, are in high repute. 

Staples. Butter, cheese, beef, pork, corn and potatoes. 

Schools. 138 district schools were maintained in the county 
an average period of six months, in 1846. $8958 was expend- 
ed for the instruction of 8056 children. The school libraries 
numbered 14,460 volumes. 

There were also in the county, nineteen private schools, with 527 pupils, and 
three incorporated academies with 191 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Con- 
gregationalists, Baptists, Roman Catholics, Friends, and Epis- 
copalians. There are thirty-three churches and forty-five cler- 
gymen of all denominations. 

History. At the close of the French war, this county was 
visited by numerous speculators, in quest of pine and oak tim- 
ber ; but no permanent settlements were established till 1765, 
or 1766, when a grant having been made to two officers of the 
British Navy, Messrs. Stewart and Freswell, of 2000 acres of 
land, in two tracts, one situated in Plattsburgh, and the other 
in Peru, a few families removed here, but were soon driven off 
by the revolutionary war. The descendants of one of them, 
however, (Mr. Hay,) still occupy his property. 

Grants were also made previous to the revolution, to two 
gentlemen named Beekman and Deane, with each of whom 
several partners were associated. A settlement was made in 
Deane's patent, in 1768, (though not by purchase from him,) by 
Mr. James Framboise. Being driven out by the enemy in 
1776, he served in the American army through the war, and, in 
1784, returned to his farm, which is still held by his family. 

A German nobleman, Count Vredenburg, who had married 
a lady of the Queen's household, in England, obtained a grant 
of 30,000 acres of land, which he located on Cumberland bay, in 
the present town of Plattsburgh. He resided here, in great 



CLINTON COUNTY. 217 

splendor, for several years, previous to the revolution, at the 
commencement of which he sent his family to Montreal, but re- 
mained himself, for some time, on his estate, and at length ys- 
teriously disappeared. It was supposed, that he was robbed and 
murdered. His house, and a saw mill which he had erected, 
some three miles from his residence, were burned, at cne time 
of his disappearance. 

In July, 1783, Lieutenant (afterwards Major General) Ben- 
jamin Mooers, with two other officers, and eight men, ascended 
the Hudson in a boat, from Fishkill landing, and, taking the 
route by way of Lake George, and Lake Champlain, reached 
Point au Roche, nine miles above Pittsburgh, on the 10th of 
August, and commenced a settlement. 

In 1734, Judge Zephaniah Piatt, and several others, who had 
formed a company, for the purchase of military warrants, loca- 
ted their lands on Cumberland bay, and laid out the town of 
Plattsburgh, reserving ten lots, of 100 acres each, as gifts to 
the first ten settlers, who should remove thither, with their 
families, and another hundred acre lot for the first male child, 
born in the settlement. 

These gifts were soon claimed, and the settlement prospered 
steadily from this period. During the late war with Great 
Britain, one of its severest battles occurred wi bin the limits of 
this county — we allude to the battle of Plattsburgh, and the 
simultaneous naval conflict, between the squadrons of Commo- 
dore Downie and Commodore McDonough, on the 11th of Sep- 
tember, 1814. 

In this battle, a force of 1500 regulars, and about 2500 militia, 
under General Macomb, defeated and routed a force of 14,000 
well appointed, and veteran troops, the victors of a hundred 
battle fields ; and the squadron, under the command of Commo- 
dore McDonough, destroyed a force, considerably its superior, 
on the lake. The loss of the British land forces, was more than 
2000, in killed, wounded, prisoners, and deserters; that of the 
Americans, not more than 150. 

On the lake, the English loss was about 1000, in killed, wound- 
ed, and prisoners ; that of the Americans, 1 10. The British 
commander, Commodore Downie, was killed, in the naval 
action. 

The mineral wealth of this county, and its vast forests of val- 
uable timber, will undoubtedly continue to attract emigrants 
hither, and no where will industry receive a more ample reward. 
Villages. Plattsburgh, in the town of the same name, isthe 
county seat, and is situated at the head of Cumberland bay. It 
has numerous manufactories, and is the proposed terminus of 



218 STATE OP NEW YOllK. 

the Ogdensburgh and Lake Champlain railroad ; several rail- 
roads are now in the course of construction, which will probably 
connect this road with Boston, and other ports on the Atlantic. 

Plattsburgh is a United States military post, and the govern- 
ment have erected extensive stone barracks here, and a perma- 
nent breakwater for the protection of the harbor. 

The Saranac here furnishes a fine water power, descending 
by a succession of falls, about forty feet. The manufactures of 
the village are principally cotton and woollen goods. Popula- 
tion, 2500. 

Near the village are the ruins of the temporary barracks and breast works, 
occupied by the troops of General Macomb, during the late war with Great Brit- 
ain. One mile north of these is the house occupied by the British commander, 
General Prevost, as his head quarters, during the siege. Between this and the 
village, the marks of cannon shot can still be seen on the trees and other 
objects. At a distance of about five miles from the village, on a hill overlooking 
the village of Beekmantown, is the spot where the British troops met the first 
repulse in their approach to Plattsburgh, on the 6th of September In this skir- 
mish, several of the British officers and about 100 men were killed. The British 
camp was north of the Saranac river. 

Clintonville, on the Au Sable river, situated partly in this 
and partly in Essex county, is a thriving village, largely enga- 
ged in the various manufactures of bar and rolled iron, nails, 
chain cables, &c. which are produced here, in large quantities. 
The Arnold Hill mine, near the village, furnishes magnetic iron 
ore of very superior quality. Population, 1000. 

Peru is a flourishing village, in the town of the same name. 
Population, 900. 

Bedford, in the town of Saranac, is famous for its manufac- 
ture of crown glass, which is of superior quality. Population, 
700. 

Chazy is a small, but thriving village, in the town of the same 
name. It has some manufactures. The Chazy black marble, 
quarried near this village, bears a high reputation. 

Champlain, in the town of the same name, is a village of some 
importance. The village of Keeseville, on both sides of the Au 
Sable, is partly located in this town, and, in point of importance, 
is only second to Plattsburgh. It is more particularly described 
in Essex county. 



XV. ONTARIO COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 61' 
Organized, 1789. 



Population, 42,592. 
Valuation, 1845, $12,624,438. 




TOWNS 

9. Seneca, 1789 



10. Victor, 1812. 

11. Manchester, 1821. 

12. Hopewell, 1822. 

13. I anadice, 1829. 

14. West Bloomfield, 1833. 

15. South Bloomfield, 1836. 



1. Bristol, 1789 

2. Canandaigua, 1789. 

3. East Bloomfield, 1789. 

4. Farmington, 1789. 

5. Gorham, 1789. 
G. Naples, 1789. 

7. Phelps, 1789. 

8. Richmond, 1789. 

Rivers, a. Mud Creek, b. Canandaigua Outlet, c. Flint Creek, d. 

Honeoye. 
Lakes. BB. Seneca, h. Canandaigua. e. Honeoye. f. Caneadea 

or Canadice. g. Hemlock. 
Colleges. Geneva. 
Villages. Canandaigua. Geneva. Vienna. Port Gibson. 

Boundaries. North by Monroe and Wayne counties ; East 
by Seneca county and Seneca lake ; South by Yates and Steu- 
ben counties ; and West by Livingston and Monroe counties. 



220 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Surface. The surface of Ontario county is diversified, being 
naturally divided by a north and south line, taking the Canan- 
daigua lake in its course. The whole eastern portion is spread 
out in beautiful plains and gentle undulations. The western 
portion comprises numerous swells of rich rolling land, inter- 
spersed with fertile vales. In the southwestern portion of the 
county, these swells form some bold elevations, towering into 
highlands, having an altitude of twelve or fourteen hundred 
feet. * 

Rivers. Mud creek, Canandaigua outlet, Flint creek and 
Honeoye, are the principal streams. 

Lakes. Canandaigua lake is fourteen miles long, from one 
to two broad, and surrounded by di ei sifted and beautiful 
scenery. The other lakes are Seneca, Honeoye, Caneadea 
and Hemlock. 

Canals. The Erie canal just touches the county at Port 
Gibson, and the Seneca and Cayuga canal commences at 
Geneva. 

Railroads. The Auburn and Rochester railroad has a cir- 
cuitous course, from east to west, through the county. 

Climate. The climate is mild and equable. 

In some sections remittent and intermittent fevers prevail in autumn, but the 
county, as a whole, is decidedly healthy. It is well adapted to the growth and 
perfection of the peach, apple and other fruits. 

Geology and Minerals. Slate is the underlying rock of the 
county, but it is generally covered with limestone, and, on the 
higher hills, with gray wacke. lii the southern part, the clay 
slate sometimes appears on the surface. In the west it alter- 
nates with the limestone, forming an excellent soil. The 
county lies mostly within the limits of the Ontario group. 

Water lime, gypsum and marl are abundant. Iron ore is also found in large 
quantities. Sulphur springs exist in Manchester. One of the most interesting 
features in the mineralogical history of this county, is the carburetted hydrogen 
or inflammable gas, in Bristol and Canandaigua. 

The gas forces its way through fissures in the rocks, and in Bristol through the 
waters of a stream, where it is most abundant ; when lighted it burns with a 
steady, brilliant flame, till extinguished by storms, or by design. The gas has the 
odor of pit coal, and burns without smoke, but deposits a small quantity of bitu- 
minous lampblack. The hillocks where it appears are destitute of verdure, and 
no plant will live within its influence. There are similar springs in East Bloom- 
field and Richmond. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The constituents of the 
soil render it quite fertile, and the northern and central towns 
are peculiarly adapted to the raising of wheat and other grains. 
It also yields grass and fruits abundantly. 

The timber is principally oak, chestnut, hickory, with beech, maple, and some 
pine in the southern part. 



ONTARIO COUNTY. 221 

Pursuits. The people generally are engaged in tilling the 
earth, and find a rich return for their toil, in the abundance it 
produces. More wheat is raised in this county, than in any 
other in the state. It also produces more wool. All kinds of 
fruit congenial to the climate, are produced in large quantities. 

The manufactures of the county are limited, as it has com- 
paratively little water power. They are chiefly flour, the va- 
rious woollen fabrics, leather, malt and distilled liquors. 

Its commerce is confined to the transportation of its produce, 
and that principally on the Seneca lake. 

Staples. These are, wheat, wool, oats, barley and butter. 

Schools. In 1846, there were 220 district schools, which 
were taught an average period of eight months, and contained 
14,617 pupils. The amount paid for tuition was $21,519. There 
were 27,106 volumes in the school libraries. 

There were in addition, thirty-five select schools, with 706 scholars, two acad- 
emies, and one female seminary, with 246 pupils, and one college with eight pro- 
fessors, and, including both departments, 260 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Friends, Universal- 
ists, Dutch Reformed, Unitarians and Roman Catholics. To- 
tal churches seventy-six — clergymen ninety-five. 

History. The whole of this county, as well as the counties 
of Steuben, Genesee, Allegany, Niagara, Chautauque, Monroe, 
Livingston, Erie, Yates, and the western half of Wayne and 
Orleans, was included in the lands ceded by New York to Mas- 
sachusetts, and by that state to Messrs. Gorham and Phelps, 
in 1787. 

In 1788 Oliver Phelps, one of the proprietors, left Granville, 
Massachusetts, to explore this far distant and unknown coun- 
try, amid the tearful adieus of his family and friends, who 
parted with him, not expecting his return. 

On his arrival at Canandaigua, he assembled the chiefs of 
the Six Nations, and purchased from them ^heir title to two 
and a half millions of acres of land. In 1789, he opened, at 
Canandaigua, the first land office in America, for the sale of 
forest lands to settlers. 

His system of surveys by townships was subsequently adopt- 
ed by the United States government, in their surveys of new 
lands. Almost the whole of the lands of this county were thus 
sold to actual settlers, a large proportion of whom were from 
New England. 

With a soil of extraordinary fertility, and a thrifty and indus- 
trious population; possessing scenery of unrivaled beauty, and 
removed from the danger of hostile incursions, the growth of 



222 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

this county has been rapid and prosperous, since its first set- 
tlement. 

Villages. Canandaigua village in the town of Canandaigua, 
was laid out by Messrs. Gorham and Phelps, in 1788, and is the 
county seat. It is delightfully situated, on an ascent, at the 
northern extremity of the lake of the same name, commanding 
a fine view of that beautiful sheet of water. Its buildings, many 
of them handsome, are principally situated on a single broad 
street, running north and south, and are surrounded by highly 
cultivated gardens. 

The Canandaigua academy, located here, was founded by the 
munificence of Messrs. Gorham and Phelps, and is amply sus- 
tained by the liberality of the inhabitants. It is also the seat of 
the Ontario female seminary, an ancient and respectable insti- 
tution. Population about 3000. 

Geneva, in the town of Seneca, was founded by Messrs. An- 
nin and Barton, in 1794. In the beauty of its situation, it is 
unrivaled among the many beautiful villages of western New 
York. Situated at the northwest extremity of Seneca lake, its 
principal street runs parallel with the shore of the lake, at an 
elevation of about 100 feet, and from many of its residences ter- 
raced gardens extend to the banks of the lake. 

It has some manufactures, but is chiefly distinguished for its 
refined society, and for the advantages it affords as a retreat for 
the scholar, the retired merchant, or the gentleman of fortune. 
The college, here, has an able corps of instructors, and is rising 
in reputation and usefulness. In beauty of location it is not 
surpassed by any institution in the United States. It has a 
flourishing medical department. There is also in this village a 
female seminary. Population about 4000. 

East and West Vienna, in the town of Phelps, are thriving 
villages, situated one mile distant from each other, on the out- 
let of Canandaigua lake. They are in the midst oi* a fine agri- 
cultural region and have some manufactories. East Vienna 
has a female seminary. The Auburn and Rochester railroad 
passes through the village. Population 1500. 

Bushville, partly in this county and partly in Yates, is a vil- 
lage of some importance. Population about 800. 

Port Gibson, in the town of Manchester, is the only place 
where the Erie canal touches the county. 



XVI. HERKIMER COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 1370. 
Population, 37,424. 
Organized, 1791. 
Valuation, 1845, $6,572,473. 



1. German Flats, 1788. 

2. Herkimer, 1788. 

3. Schuyler, 1792. 

4. Norway, 1792. 

5. Fairfield, 1796. 

6. Frankfort, 1796. 

7. Litchfield, 1796. 

8. Warren, 1796. 

9. Manheim, 1797. 

10. Newport, 1806. 

11. Russia, 1806. 

12. Columbia, 181. 

13. Winfield, 1816. 

14. Danube, 1817. 

15. Salisbury, 1817. 

16. Ohio, 1823. 

17. Stark, 1828. 

18. Little Falls, 1829. 

19. Wilmurt, 1837. 

Mountains. GG. Chateaugay. j. 

Otsquaga. i. Hassencleaver. 
Rivers. F. Mohawk. a. Black. 

h. East Canada Creek, f. West 

Canada Creek, b. Beaver, c. 

Moose. 
Falls, g. Trenton, t. Little. 
La/ces. d. Moose. 
Villages. Herkimer. Little 

Falls. Fairfield. 



Boundaries. North by St. 
Lawrence county; East by 
Hamilton, Fulton and Mont- 
gomery ; South by Otsego ; and 
West by Oneida and Lewis 
counties. 

Surface. The surface is di- 
versified, and crossed by moun- 
tains in every direction. The 
Chateaugay range enters the 




224 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

county from the northeast, and runs southwest and unites with 
the Otsquaga Hills, which form the dividing ridge between the 
Mohawk and Susquehanna. 

This ridge is broken through, by the Mohawk river, at Little 
Falls. It varies in height from 700 to 1200 feet. The Otsquaga 
Hills run from east to west, extending across the whole south- 
ern portion of the county. They are about 1000 feet high. 

Between the Chateaugay mountains and the western line of 
the county, are the Highlands of Black river, which are broken 
through by West Canada creek. The Hassencleaver moun- 
tain, an isolated summit, having a base of eight or nine miles, 
and a height of 800 or 1000 feet, also occupies its central 
portion. 

The northern portion is elevated and rugged, but has not 
been thoroughly explored. The dividing ridge, between the 
waters of the St. Lawrence and the Mohawk, cros.se? it. 

Rivers. The Mohawk passes through the county from east 
to west. Its principal tributaries are the East Canada and 
West Canada creeks. The latter, in a course of sixty miles, 
falls 1220 feet, or on an average twenty-three feet to the mile. 
The Black, Moose, Beaver, and the head waters of the Oswe- 
gatchie river, all aid in draining the northern portion of the 
county. 

Falls. The Little Falls, at the village of that name, on the 
Mohawk, deserve notice. They received their name in contra- 
distinction to the Great Falls of the Mohawk, at Cohoes. They 
extend, upon the river, three-fourths of a mile, the fall in that 
distance being forty-two feet, divided into two rapids, each of 
nearly a fourth of a mile in length, and separated by a stretch 
of deep water. 

The beauty of the fall is very much increased by the depth of the river bed, 
below the adjacent banks of the defile, through which it passes. This defile is 
about 100 rods wide, two miles in length, and rises from 360 to 400 feet above the 
river, which has worn for itself this deep channel through the crumbling rocks, 
which compose the mountain. The scenery is highly picturesque and beautiful. 

Trenton Falls, on the West Canada creek, are described un- 
der Oneida county. 

akes. There are numerous small lakes scattered over the 
northern part of the county, among which Moose lake is the 
largest. 

Canals and Railroads. The Erie canal, and the Utica and 
Schenectady railroad, pass through the county, on either side 
of the Mohawk. 

Climate. The climate, owing to the numerous mountains, is 
cold, but healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. The northern part of the county is 



HERKIMER COUNTY. 225 

primitive, the rocks being either granite or gneiss. On the bor- 
ders of the East and West Canada creeks, as well as in some 
other sections, this is overlaid with limestone and slate. South 
of the Mohawk, the prevailing rock is slate, covered with sand- 
stone, or limestone, except at Fort hill, where the granite again 
makes its appearance. 

Its minerals are quartz, crystals of rare size and beauty, heavy spar, calcare- 
ous spar, pearl and brown spar, sulphuret of zinc, galena, iron and copper pyrites, 
bog iron ore, fibrous celestine, tourmaline, and anthracite, though not in sufficient 
quantities to be of any practical value. Fossils, of great beauty and perfection, are 
found in the vicinity of Trenton falls, and petrifactions on the Otsquaga creek, in 
the town of Stark. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally 
arable, and some portions of it highly productive. It is better 
adapted to grass than to grain. The northern portion is said to 
be barren and unproducti 

The timber is principally oak, hemlock, pine, beech, chestnut, black birch, hick- 
ory, butternut, elm and maple. Pine and hemlock are abundant in the northern 
section. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the in- 
habitants. From the hilly character of the surface, more atten- 
tion is necessarily paid to grazing, than to the culture of grain, 
and Herkimer stands in the front rank of grazing counties. Its 
cheese is particularly celebrated, and almost one fourth of the 
whole amount produced in the state, is made in this county. 
More than eight millions of pounds mere made in 1845. It also 
ranks high in the production of butter, wool and pork. 

Some attention is paid to manufactures, for which the water 
falls of the principal streams afford fine facilities. The principal 
articles are leather, cotton and woollen goods, flour, lumber and 
paper. 

The transportation of its produce upon the Erie canal, consti- 
tutes the only commerce of the county. 

Staples. Cheese, butter and wool. 

Schools. There are 200 public school -houses, in which schools 
were taught, in 1846, an average period of eight months, and 
11,800 children received instruction, at a cost, for tuition, of 
$15,459. The district libraries numbered 22,750 volumes. 

The county has also thirty-three select schools, with 442 pupils, three academies, 
and one female seminary, attended by 321 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Dutch Re- 
formed, Universalists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Epis- 
copalians, Roman Catholics, Unitarians and Jews. 

History. A tract of land, twelve miles square, lying between 
the East and West Canada creeks, in this county, constituted 
the royal grant, which Sir William Johnson obtained of old 
King Hendrick, and which was afterwards confirmed by the 



226 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

king of England.* Another of 94,000 acres, lying in the north- 
ern part of the county, was granted in 1770, and called the Jer- 
seyfield patent. 

The fertile tract now known as the German Flats, was 
patented by a company of German Lutherans, in 1725. It con- 
sisted of a little more than 9000 acres of excellent land. Their 
residence was called Burnet's field, after Governor Burnet. A 
church was erected here, previous to the revolution, and a par- 
sonage of stone, which having been fortified, received the name 
of Fort Herkimer. 

In common with the adjacent counties of Montgomery, Ful- 
ton, Otsego, Oneida and Schoharie, Herkimer suffered from 
the incursions of the savages and tories, during the revolution- 
ary contest. The brave old general whose name it perpetuates, 
died at his residence, in Danube, in this county, in August, 
1777, of wounds received at the battle of Oriskany. 

In 1778, the village of Herkimer was burned by the Indiana 
and tories, under the direction of the Mohawk chieftain, Erant. 
Fortunately their approach had been discovered by the inhabit- 
ants, who fled to Forts Dayton and Herkimer, for protection, 
Two individuals, however, were killed, every house and barn 
destroyed, and the cattle, horses and sheep driven away by the 
Indians. 

In 1780, a party of Indians and tories visited Little Falls, for 
the purpose of destroying the mills there, which were of great 
importance to the inhabitants. They accomplished their object, 
killed one man, and took five or six prisoners. Two of the oc- 
cupants of one of the mills, concealed themselves in the race- 
way, beneath the water wheel, and after the conflagration of 
the mill, and the departure of the Indians, made their escape. 

Villages. Herkimer, the county seat, is handsomely situa- 
ted in the valley of the Mohawk, in the town of the same name. 
It has a fine hydraulic power, sufficient to drive a large amount 
of machinery. The academy here is in a flourishing condition. 
The county buildings are on the most improved models, com- 
bining security and comfort. Population about 1000. 

Little Falls, situated on both sides the Mohawk, in the town 
of that name, is celebrated for the beauty of its scenery. It is 

* The way in which this land was obtained, was said to be the following. Sir 
William having received, from England, several rich suits of uniform, the old 
Sachem, Hendrick, visited him soon after, and spent the night. In the morning 
he came to Sir William and said, " Me dream last night." '' And what did you 
dream V inquired the baronet. " Me dream you give me one fine suit of clothes/' 
was the reply. The baronet, of course, complied with his request. 

Not long after, he returned the visit, and in the morning, said to his Indian 
host, " I dreamed last night." "Ah," said the Indian, "What did you dream?" 
"I dreamed," replied Sir William, "that you gave me such a piece of land," 
(describing it). "Well," said the old Sachem, "Me give it you, but me no 
dream with you again ; you dream too hard for me." 



HERKIMER COUNTY. 227 

largely engaged in manufactures, and has an academy for the 
education of both sexes, for which the citizens have erected a 
noble granite edifice. Its houses, mostly of stone, are remark- 
able for their neat and substantial appearance. 

Here is a deep cut on the canal, of two miles, through solid 
rock, which presented an obstacle to the Erie canal, only sur- 
passed by that at Lockport. The canal constructed by the 
Western Inland Lock Navigation Company, in 1802, is' con- 
nected with the Erie canal at this place, by a magnificent aque- 
duct of white marble. The finest quartz crystals in the United 
States are found here. Population about 3000. 

Fairfield is a pleasant rural village, the seat of an academy 
of considerable distinction. The college of physicians and sur- 
geons, of the western district, was formerly located here, and 
occupied a fine building. This medical school, though formerly 
highly popular, has recently been discontinued. 

Mohawk, in the town of German Flats, is situated on the 
line of the canal. It is a flourishing village, and furnishes a 
good market for the produce of this section of the county. Pop- 
ulation 800. 

Newport, in the town of the same name, is a thriving village, 
with considerable manufactures. Population about 600. 

Frankfort, in the town of the same name, has some manufac- 
tures. Population 600. 

Middleville, in the town of Fairfield, Winton, in the town of 
Salisbury, and Russia, in the town of the same name, are vil- 
lages of some importance, 



XVII. RENSSELAER COUNTY. 

Square Miles, 626. Population, 62,338. 

Organized, 1791. Valuation, 1845, $12,624,258. 




1. Hoosick, 17SS. 

2. Pittstown, 1788. 

3. Scaghticoke, 1788. 

4. Stephentown, 1788. 

5. Petersburgh, 1791. 

6. Greenbush, 1792. 

7. Schodac, 1795. 



TOWNS. 

8. Troy City, 1796. 

9. Nassau, 1806. 

10. Berlin, 1806. 

11. Brunswick, 1807. 

12. Grafton, 1807. 

13. Lansinburgh, 1807. 

14. Sand Lake. 



Mountains. Y. Peterborough, g. Williamstown. 



RENSSELAER COUNTY. 229 

Rivers and Creeks. C. Hudson River, k. Hoosick. b. Tomhenick 
Creek, i. Kinderhook. h. Vallitje. e. Wvnantskill. f Poes- 
tenkill. 

Falls. Hoosick. 

Villages. Troy City. Greenbush. Lansingburgh. ScaWiticoke 
Hoosick Falls. 

Boundaries. North by Washington county; East by the 
states of Massachusetts and Vermont ; South by Columbia 
county ; and West by the Hudson river. 

Surface. The surface of the county is diversified. From 
the valley of the Hudson it rises, somewhat precipitously, more 
than 200 feet. Thence the county is rolling-, to the base of the 
Peterborough mountains. These mountains attain their high- 
est elevation near the centre of the county, subsiding into mod- 
erate hills, at the northern and southern extremities. This 
ridge is separated from the Taghkanic range, here called the 
Wilhamstown mountains, by a valley from one to three miles 
m width. 

Rivers. This county is abundantly watered. Beside the 
Hudson, its principal streams are, the Hoosick river, Tom- 
henick, Kinderhook and Vallitje creeks, Wynantskill, and Po- 
estenkill. 

Railroads. The Western Railroad, which connects Boston 
and Albany, terminates at East Albany. The Troy and Green- 
bush Railroad connects this with Troy. The Troy and Sara- 
toga, and the Troy and Schenectady Railroads, both terminate 
in this county. They cross the Hudson at Troy, on a noble 
bridge, 1650 feet in length. 

Climate. The climate of the county is mild, but exposed to 
great extremes of temperature. It is considered healthful. 

Geology and Minerals. The county is wholly of the trans- 
ition formation. The basis rock is clay slate, upon which is 
imposed limestone, gray wacke, and some red sandstone. 

Roofing slate is extensively quarried in Hoosick, Stephentown, and Troy. Iron 
is found in several places, but is little wrought. Marl, of superior quality, is 
abundant in Sand Lake, and Scaghticoke. Epsom salts are found in Lansingburgh ; 
in the same vicinity are quartz crystals of great beauty. There are several sul- 
phur springs in the county. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. There is considerable 
variety in the soil, but a loam, composed of sand and clay, and 
quite fertile, extends over the greater part of the county. Con- 
siderable tracts are well adapted to wheat, but grass and sum- 
mer crops succeed better in the uplands, in the northern and 
eastern sections. The principal timber is oak, hemlock, spruce, 
chestnut, and hickory. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is extensively and profitably pursued. 
The productions of the dairy are large. The rearing of cattle, 
11 



230 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

horses, and sheep, receives much attention. It is the largest 
flax growing county in the state. 

The Manufactures of the county are numerous and varied. 
The principal articles are flour, cotton and woollen goods, 
various kinds of iron ware, leather, carriages and sleighs, 
railroad cars, malt and distilled liquors, oil, &c. 

Commerce. The commerce of the county is quite extensive, 
and is carried on principally through the ports of Troy, Lan- 
singburgh, and Greenbush. 

Staples. Flax, oats, potatoes, corn, butter and wool. 

Schools. In 1846, there were in the county, 192 district 
school-houses, in which schools were maintained an average pe- 
riod of nine months, and 13,040 children received instruction. 
The wages of teachers amounted to $21,832. The number of 
volumes in the district libraries was 26,921. 

There were also seventy-five private schools, with 1923 pupils, six academies 
and two female seminaries, with 556 students, and the Rensselaer Institute. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Bap- 
tists, Dutch Reformed, Episcopalians, Roman- Catholics, Uni- 
versalists, Unitarians, Friends, and Congregationalists. There 
are ninety-five churches, and eighty clergymen. 

History. All the towns of this county, except Scaghticoke, 
Pittstown, Hoosick, the north part of Lansingburgh, and part of 
Troy, belong to the Manor of Rensselaerwyck. The farms are 
generally rented at the rate often bushels of wheat for the hun- 
dred acres. 

Pittstown was probably settled at an earlier period than any 
other portion of the county, emigrants having located there in 
1650. 

Scaghticoke was also settled by Dutch and German families 
at an early period, probably about 1700. The first settlement 
on the present site of Troy, was made in 1720, by Derick Van- 
derheyden. He obtained a lease of 490 acres, now constituting 
the most densely populated portion of the city, for three and 
three-quarters bushels of wheat and four fat fowls annually. 

His descendants continued to occupy the land, and from them 
it assumed the name of Vanderheyden's ferry, which it con- 
tinued to bear till 1789, when the more classic appellation of 
" Troy" was substituted lor it. 

On the 16th August, J 777, a portion of the battle of Benning- 
ton was fought within the limits of Hoosick, in this county. 

A cantonment was erected at Greenbush, for the United 
States troops, during the late war with Great Britain. 

Cities and Villages. Troy City, the seat of justice for the 
county, is pleasantly situated on the Hudson, six miles north of 
Albany. It was laid out in 1789, and made the county seat in 



RENSSELAER COUNTY. 231 

1791. It is well built, with wide and well shaded streets. The 
court house, and several of the other public buildings, exhibit 
great architectural merit. 

It is largely engaged in manufactures of almost every descrip- 
tion ; cast and bar iron, nails, cotton and woollen goods, coaches, 
sleighs, wagons, railroad cars, flour, distilled and malt liquors', 
leather, cordage, steam engines, machinery, &c, are the 
principal. The entire value of its manufactures exceeds 
$4,000,000 per annum. 

The schools of Troy have long maintained a high rank. The 
Rensselaer Institute, founded by, and named after, the late Pa- 
troon, is an excellent practical school, designed to furnish young 
men with a thorough mathematical education, and to fit them 
for the practice of civil engineering. 

The Troy Female Seminary, begun inMiddlebury, Vermont, 
in IS 14, and removed to Troy in 1821, has long ranked among 
the first institutions of its kind in the country. Nearly 6000 pu- 
pils have been educated in it, many of whom have afterwards 
become teachers in various parts of the Union. 

Its former and present principals, have won for themselves 
the highest reputation as instructors. It has twenty-four teach- 
ers and other officers, and more than 200 pupils. 

The Troy Academy is also an excellent institution. 

The Lyceum of Natural History has a fine library and cabi- 
net, and is well conducted. The Young Men's Association pos- 
sess a large and well selected library, a cabinet and reading 
room, and sustain a course of lectures annually. 

The city is connected with Schenectady, Saratoga, and East 
Albany, by railroads, and by means of the last with the great 
Western Railroad to Boston. Excellent McAdamized roads 
have also been constructed to Albany and to Bennington ; the 
Erie and Champlain canals, here forming the Junction canal, 
bring immense quantities of lumber and produce to the city, and 
receive in return manufactured goods. 

The commerce of the city is quite large. Three large and 
seven or eight smaller steamboats, about sixty sloops and 
schooners, and twenty-five or thirty barges, are owned here, 
and employed in transporting produce and manufactured arti- 
cles to New York. There are also several lines of packets ply- 
ing to other ports, together with a large number of packet and 
freight boats, on the Erie and Champlain canals. Population 
25,000. 

The village of West Troy, on the west bank of the Hudson, 
though in another county, may almost be considered a suburb 



232 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

of Troy, with which it is connected by a fine bridge and two 
ferries. 

Lansinghurgh, in the town of the same name, is three miles 
north of Troy. It was settled before that city, and was for a 
considerable period the more important village. It has exten- 
sive manufactories. By means of a lock, in the state dam across 
the Hudson, sloops ascend the river to the village. The Lan- 
singburgh Academy was one of the first institutions of the kind 
established in the state. The village is one of the oldest in the 
state, having been organized in 1771, and incorporated in 1787. 
Population 3500. 

Scaghticoke Point, in the town of Scaghticoke, is a thriving 
manufacturing village ; cotton, linen, and hemp goods, powder, 
and powder kegs, are largely manufactured here. Popula- 
tion 1400. 

Greenbush is a thriving village in the town of the same name, 
opposite the city of Albany. The great Western railroad, and 
the Troy and Greenbush railroad terminate here. The United 
States barracks, erected in 1814, were on an eminence about a 
mile southeast of the village. They were very extensive, having 
been intended for the accommodation of 5000 troops, but are now 
in ruins. Population 1200. 

Hoosick Falls, in the town of Hoosick, is a thriving manufac- 
turing village. Population 500. 

Nassau and Berlin, in the towns of the same names, are vil- 
lages of some importance. 

Schodac Landing, in the town of Schodac, is a thriving 
village. 



XVIII. OTSEGO COUNTY. 



Square mile?, 892. 
Organized, 1791. 



Population, 50,509. 
Valuation, 1845, $5,408,040. 




1. Otsego, 1788. 

2. Cherry Valley, 1791. 

3. Richfield, 1792. 

4. Unadilla, 1792. 

5. Burlington, 1792. 

6. Butternuts, 179G. 

7. Milford, 1796. 

8. Oneonta, 1790. 

9. Pittsrield, 1797. 

10. Springfield, 1797. 

11. Worcester, 1797. 
Mountains, m. Kaatsbergs. 



12. Middlefield, 1797. 

13. Exeter, 1799. 

14. Plainfield, 1799 

15. Hartwick, 1802. 

16. New Lisbon, 1806. 

17. Decatur, 1808. 

18. Edmeston, 1808. 

19. Maryland, 1808. 

20. Westford, 1808. 

21. Laurens, 1810. 

22. Otego, 1822. 

n. Mount Independence. 



234 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Rivers. II. Unadilla. G. Susquehanna, b. Butternut creek, c. 

Otsdewa. d. Otego. e. Otsego, f. Cherry Valley, g. Schene- 

vas. h. Elk. 
Lakes, i. Summit, j. Canaderaga or Schuyler, k. Otsego. 
Battle Fields. Cherry Valley. 
Villages. Cooperstown. Cherry Valley. 

Boundaries. North by Oneida, Herkimer and Montgomery 
counties ; East by Schoharie and Delaware ; South by Dela- 
ware ; and West by Madison and Chenango counties. 

Surface. The surface is greatly diversified by mountains, 
hills, valleys and plains. The Kaatsbergs extend along its 
eastern border, connecting, a little above Cherry Valley vil- 
lage, with Mount Independence, whose summit, more than 2000 
feet above tide water, affords a noble prospect, opening, in some 
directions, nearly 100 miles in extent. 

At this elevation, a narrow table land runs along the northern 
confines of the county, forming the western coniinuation of the 
Kaatsbergs, and decliens gradually toward the south, divided, 
however, by the streams, into numerous high ridges and deep 
valleys. 

There are six principal valleys thus formed, viz. Cherry Val- 
ley, the valley of the Elk creek, that of Schenevas creek, the 
valleys of the Otego and Butternut creeks, and of the Unadilla 
river. The direction of these valleys is generally south-south- 
westerly. 

Rivers. This county is well watered. The Susquehanna, 
which forms nearly half its southern boundary, is the principal 
stream. It takes its rise in Summit lake, whose waters also 
discharge, in seasons of flood, into the Mohawk. Its course 
through the county is placid, the descent, in the distance of 
forty -five miles, probably not exceeding five feet to the mile. 

The Unadilla, a branch of the Susquehannah, washes the 
eastern border of the county. The Cherry Valley creek, on 
whose banks such deeds of blood were committed, in the early 
settlement of the county, is also a tributary of the Susquehanna, 
as are the Schenevas, Otego, Otsdewa, and Butternut creeks. 

Lakes. Otsego lake is nine miles long, and from one to three 
wide. The hills which encircle it are elevated from 400 to 500 
feet above its surface. This lake is 1188 feet above tide water. 
The purity of its waters, and the rich and varied scenery which 
surrounds it render it an attractive summer resort. 

Canaderaga, or Schuyler's lake, is a beautiful sheet of water, 
five miles long, and from one to two wide. 
Summit lake is the source of the Susquehanna. It is a 



OTSEGO COUNTY. 235 

small body of water, but has an altitude, above tide water, of 
1346 feet. 

Cromhorn pond, on the Cromhorn mountain, in Maryland, is 
three miles circumference, and is one of the highest ponds in the 
state. 

Climate. Owing to the elevation of this county the climate 
is cooler than in some other portions of the state. The diver- 
sity of its surface insures a perfect drainage, and renders it 
highly salubrious. 

Geology and Minerals. This county belongs to the transi- 
tion system. It is underlaid with clay slate, over which is 
gray wacke slate, sandstone, and in the north limestone. 

In Cherry Valley and Springfield, gray marble of good quality is found. It is 
susceptible of a high polish, and abounds with animal fossils. Magnesia is one 
of its constituents. The graywacke also furnishes an excellent building material. 
There are some sulphur springs in the county ; that at Richfield is highly impreg - 
nated, and often visited for its medicinal qualities. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is very fertile. 
The timber of this section is principally oak, white pine, hem- 
lock, beech and maple. Oats, corn, barley, wheat, hops and 
potatoes are the principal crops. 

Pursuits. Agriculture, particularly the rearing of cattle, 
horses and sheep, and manufactures are the principal pursuits. 
There are no mines, but some extensive marble quarries near 
Cherry Valley. 

The Susquehanna is the only navigable stream in the county, 
and is mainly used for the transportation of lumber, of which 
considerable quantities are sent to market annually. 

The manufactures of the county are numerous, and increas- 
ing in quantity and value with great rapidity. The most impor- 
tant are flour, lumber, cotton and woollen goods, (including 
prints,) leather, iron, &c. In 1845, they exceeded ©1,100,000 
in value. 

Staple Productions. Wool, beef, pork, butter, cheese, and 
lumber, are the principal productions. 

Schools. There were in the county, in 1846, 316 district 
school-houses, in which schools were taught an average period 
of eight months ; 16,859 scholars were instructed during the 
year, at an expense for tuition of about $ 19,385. The district 
libraries contained 31,366 volumes. 

There were the same year, in the county, thrity-nine private schools, with 652 
pupils, and three academies with 223 students. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyte- 
rians, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Friends, Universal- 
ists, and Unitarians. There were, in 1S45, eighty-eight 
churches of all denominations, and ninety-eight clergymen. 



236 



STATE OF NEW YORK. 



History. The early history of this county contains many 
events of thrilling interest. The first settlement in the county, 
was made in 1739, by Mr. John Lindesay, a Scotch gentleman 
of some fortune and distinction, who, in conjunction with three 
other gentlemen, had obtained a patent for a tract of 8000 acres, 
in the present town of Cherry Valley. The place for several 
years was called Lindesay's Bush. 

Mr. Lindesay sedulously cultivated the friendship of the Mo- 
hawks, with whom this section was a favorite hunting ground, 
and soon had reason to rejoice that he had done so, for in the 
winter of 1740, his stock of provisions was exhausted, and on 
account of the depth of the snow, he was unable to procure sup- 
plies from the distant settlements, but the friendly Indians 
brought food on their backs, and thus administered to his wants. 

In 1741, by the persuasion of Mr. Lindesay, Rev. Samuel 
Dunlap, an Irish clergyman of education and talent, was in- 
duced to emigrate, with several of his friends, to the number in 
all of about thirty persons, to this county. Soon alter their ar- 
rival, provision was made for the erection of a church, a school- 
house, and a grist and saw-mill. 

Mr. Dunlap opened, in 1743, a classical school for boys, the 
first in the state west of Albany. 

The settlement progressed but slowly for the next ten years. 
Mr. Lindesay was not well adapted to the management of an 
infant settlement, and after expending his fortune in the enter- 
prise, necessity compelled him to abandon it. He entered the 
army, and died in New York, after serving a few years as 
lieutenant. 

A few years later, small settlements were made at Spring- 
field, Middlefield, Laurens and Otego. 

In 1772, when the county of Tryon was formed, the whole 
population of Cherry Valley was somewhat less than three hun- 
dred ; and of the entire western portion of the state, (Tryon 
county comprising all that portion of the state lying west of a 
line drawn through the centre of Schoharie,) but a few thou- 
sands. 

A number of the inhabitants had served in the French war, 
and had suffered from the hostile incursions of the Indians. 

During the Revolution, the inhabitants of this county, as well 
as those of the frontier settlements generally, were agitated 
with fear of the tories and Indians, but though often alarmed, 
they did not suffer from the devastating effects of the border 
wars, in their own settlements, till the autumn of 1778. 

Rumors of an intended attack of the Indians and tories hav- 
ing reached the inhabitants in the spring, they fortified the 
church, and Colonel Alden, with a portion of an eastern regi- 



OTSEGO COUNTY. 237 

merit, was stationed to defend the settlement. The summer, 
and two of the autumn months passed, without the appearance 
of the enemy, and believing themselves secure, the farmers left 
the fort, and returned to their homes. 

On the 6th of November, Colonel Alden received intelligence 
from Fort Schuyler, of the approach of a large force of Indians 
and tories toward Cherry Valley ; on the dissemination of this 
intelligence, the settlers requested permission to remove into 
the tort, or at least to deposit their most valuable property there. 

Colonel Alden denied both requests, and with the most crim- 
inal apathy, considering the report unfounded, took no efficient 
measures to ascertain its truth. He stationed scouts in differ- 
ent districts, but they, actuated by the same feelings with their 
commander, kindled a fire, lay down to sleep, and were all cap- 
tured by the enemy. 

On the night of the 10th of November, 1778, the enemy, un- 
der command of the brutal Walter Butler, and Brant, the Mo- 
hawk chieftain, encamped within one mile of the fort, and on 
the morning of the 11th, approached it. 

Colonel Alden, in addition to his other imprudences, had 
lodged the officers of his garrison in different houses in the 
neighborhood. By means of their prisoners, the enemy discov- 
ered in which houses they were lodged, and took them all 
captives. 

Colonel Alden himself was not in the fort, and on receiving 
intelligence of the commencement of the attack, was still incred- 
ulous, but ordered the guard to be called in, and went toward 
the fort. Dearly did he pay for his apathy and incredulity ; he 
was among the first victims of the cruel massacre which now 
took place. 

The family of Mr. Robert Wells, consisting of twelve per- 
sons, were all murdered in cold blood, and one of the tories 
boasted that he had killed Mr. Wells while at prayer. 

The wife and one daughter of the Rev. Mr. Dunlap, the har- 
dy pioneer of the settlement, already mentioned, were also sa- 
crificed, and himself only spared through the importunity of an 
Indian. The wife and four children of Mr. Mitchell, were also 
inhumanly butchered by the wretches. Thirty -two of the 
inhabitants, mostly women and children, and sixteen continental 
soldiers were killed, and a large number made prisoners; all the 
houses and other buildings of the settlement were burned ; and 
the sun, which that morning looked on a quiet and happy vil- 
lage, in that beautiful valley, shed its last rays that evening 
upon smouldering ruins, and lifeless corses weltering in their 
blood. 

A conference was held at Unadilla in this county, between 
General Herkimer and Brant, the year previous to this 
11* 



238 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

ere, in which the General attempted, though unsuccessfully, to 
dissuade the Indians from taking part in the contest. 

Since the close of the Revolution, the progress of this county 
has been rapid, and its quiet undisturbed by the warwhoop of 
the Indian, of the battle-cry of the white warrior. 

Villages, &c. Cooperstown, the county seat, is a village in 
the town of Otsego. It is situated at the southern extremity of 
Otsego Lake, and in the beauty of its scenery, and the salubrity 
of its climate, has few equals among the lovely villages of cen- 
tral New York. 

The town is largely engaged in the manufacture of cotton 
goods and paper. Population 1400. 

Cherry Valley, whose thrilling story has already been nar- 
rated, received its name from its situation, and the great abun- 
dance of the wild cherry in its vicinity. It is a pleasant village, 
situated in a delightful valley. 

The Cherry Valley Academy, a flourishing chartered insti- 
tution, is located here. Population 1 100. 

Hartwick is principally distinguished for its Lutheran Theo- 
logical and Classical Seminary, a flourishing and well conducted 
institution. 

Springfield, so called from a large, deep spring in the town, 
has an agreeably diversified surface, and comprises several vil- 
lages. It has some quarries of very good marble. 

Salt-spring-ville has its name from a small brine spring near 
it, from which salt was manufactured during the Revolution. 
It is worthy of notice for its distance from the great salt springs 
of the state, and its elevation above tide water. 

The Chyle is a noted limestone sink, in this town, eighty 
yards in circuit and about twelve feet deep ; it is oval in form. 
After rains or thaws, it is filled with water, which gradually 
discharges itself by small orifices below, giving the water a 
whirling motion. 

Unadilla is pleasantly situated on the Susquehanna. It has 
two fine covered bridges, each 250 feet in length, resting on 
three arches. It has also conserable lumber trade. A species oi" 
sandstone is quarried here for grindstones. Population about 
800. 

Gilbertsville, on the Butternut creek, is a thriving manufac- 
turing village, and has a flourishing academy. 



XIX. SARATOGA COUNTY. 



Square miles, 800. 
Organized, 1791. 



Population, 41,477. 
Valuation, 1845, $6,043,513. 



it®. 







> 



242 



STATE OF NEW YORK, 



stone, and in many portions of the county are deposited to an 
unknown depth. 

Bog iron ore, magnesia, chrysoberyl, granite, tourmaline, mica, feldspar, apa- 
tite, and graphite or black lead, are the principal minerals. 

But the most remarkable of the mineral productions of this 
county, are its springs. These are principally acidulous, saline 
and chalybeate ; there are however a few sulphurous waters. 
There are fifty or sixty of the acidulated mineral springs. 
They are quite uniform in their temperature, being generally 
about 50° Fahrenheit. Their composition is also very similar. 
They contain carbonic acid, and atmospheric air, from thirty- 
five to forty cubic inches to the pint of water ; and from thirty- 
five to seventy -five grains of solid matter, consisting of chloride 
of sodium, (common salt,) carbonates of soda, magnesia, lime, 
and iron, and generally iodine and bromine in minute quantities. 
One or two of the springs contain but slight traces of iron, and 
iodine in larger quantities. 

The principal springs are the Congress, Washington, Put- 
nam's, the Pavilion, Iodine, and Union springs at Saratoga; the 
Public Well, the New Washington, and the Park springs at 
Ballston Spa. The analysis of several is subjoined.* 



* The following is an analysis of one gallon (two hundred and thirty-one cubic 
inches,) of water from the following springs. 






Congress Spring. 



Chloride of sodium 

Carbonate of soda 
" lime 

" magnesia 

" iron 

Sulphate of soda 

Iodide of sodium ? 

Bromide of potassium S 

Silica - 

Alumina - 



Carbonic acid gas 
Atmospheric air 



Total grains 



Gaseous contents 
Iodine Spring. 



Grains. 

363s 829 

7.200 

86.143 

78.621 

.841 

.651 

6.920 

.472 
- .321 

543.998 
28465 
- 5.41 

290.06 



Chloride of sodium 

Carbonate of lime 
" iron 

" magnesia 

" soda 

Hydriodate of soda, or Iodine 



Carbonic acid gas 
Atmospheric air 



Total grains 



Grains, 
137. 
26. 
I. 

75, 
2. 
3.5 

244.5 
330. 
4, 



Cubic inches 331- 



SARATOGA COUNTY. 



243 



Their virtues were known to the Indians, but they carefully 
concealed them from the whites. In 1767, their affection for 
Sir William Johnson, who had been a long time ill, led them to 
communicate them to him. They guided him to the High Rock 
spring, in the town of Saratoga Springs, and the use of the 
mineral waters for a few weeks, completely restored his health. 

In 1773, the first attempt was made to establish a house for 
the accommodation of visitors. It was unsuccessful* The fol- 
lowing year, one John Arnold established a rude tavern near 
the High Rock spring. He was succeeded by one Norton, who, 
during the Revolution, abandoned his tavern and joined the 
British army. After several changes, it passed into the hands 
of a Mr. Bryant, who must be regarded as the first permanent 
settler. 

In 1783, General Schuyler opened a road to the High Rock 
spring* from Fish creek, and the succeeding year built a small 
frame house near that spring, where he spent five or six weeks 
every summer, during the remainder of his life. 

Vegetable Productions. The soil upon the mountainous 
portion is light and barren, and on the plains, excepting some 
alluvial bottoms, which are highly fertile, sandy and productive 



Pavilion Fountain. 



Chloride of sodium 

Carbonate of magnesia 
" lime 

" soda 

Oxide of iron, 

Iodide of sodium ? 

Bromide of potassium $ 

Silica 

Alumina 



Carbonic acid gas 
Atmospheric air 



Total grains 



Total cubic inches 
new Washington spring, at ballston spa. 



Chloride of sodium - 
Bicarbonate of soda - 
Bi-carbonate of magnet 
Carbonate of lime 
Hydriodate of soda 
Carbonate of iron 
Silex and alumina - 



Grains. 
226.58 

. 62.50 
60.24 
4.70 
3.10 

• 2.75 

. .62 
. .25 

361.74 

4S0.01 

- 8.09 

438.10 

Grains . 

89.83 

18.057 

42.042 

41.51 

0.7 

3.71 

1.25 



Solid contents in one gallon 197.099 
The gas which it emits in great abundance is pure carbonic acid, probably com- 
bined with a small quantity of atmospheric air. 

* This High Rock spring is enclosed in a conical rock of tufa (lime) about four 
feet high and twenty-seven feet in circumference at its base. The water in this is 
seven feet eight inches in depth, and rises within two feet four inches of the top. 



244 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

of light crops. The timber of the uplands is oak, hickory, and 
chestnut; of the plains, maple, beech, ash, elm, white and yel- 
low pine. 

Pursuits. The people are mainly engaged in agriculture, 
and large quantities of grain are annually produced. Most of 
the improved lands are under a careful and profitable cultiva- 
tion. 

Manufacture*?. These are chiefly confined to the southern 
section, yet they form an increasingly important interest. Flour, 
lumber, cotton and woollen goods, and iron, are the leading 
articles. 

Staple Productions. Oats, potatoes, corn, and butter. 

Schools. There were 216 public schools, taught on an aver- 
age eight months, during the year 1846, having in attendance 
11,714 scholars, and paying their teachers $16,005. The num- 
ber of volumes in the district libraries is 25,532. 

The number of private schools is forty -four, attended by 898 pupils. There 
are also four academies and one female seminary, with 208 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Episcopalians, Dutch Reformed, Congregationalists, 
Friends, Unitarians, Universalists, and Roman Catholics. The 
number of churches of all denominations is ninety-six, of cler- 
gymen, eighty-nine. 

History. The settlements in this county were made at a 
very early date. 

Van Schaick's patent, comprising the town of Waterford and 
the adjacent country; the Saratoga patent north of this, embra- 
cing a tract six miles square on the Hudson, and the Apple 
patent lying on the Mohawk and extending three miles back 
into the woods towards Ballston lake, were granted about the 
year 1700. 

The patent of Kayaderosseras, embracing nearly the whole 
of the county not previously conveyed, was granted in 1702, to 
a company of thirteen individuals, of whom David Schuyler and 
Robert Livingston were the most prominent. 

The exact date of the first settlement on the other patents is 
uncertain ; on the Kayaderosseras they were made as early as 
1715. 

In 1747, the Indians from Canada attacked the settlement at 
Fish Creek, now Schuylerville, burned the village, and killed 
thirty families. After the conquest of Canada, settlements 
were rapidly made, but confined, for some years, to the neigh- 
borhood of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers. 

Much of the land in this county is still holden under the an- 
nual rent of fifteen or twenty cents per acre, payable to the 



SARATOGA COUNTY. 245 

successors of the company to whom the Kayaderosseras patent 
was granted. 

This county is particularly distinguished for the events of 
General Burgoyne's campaign in 1777, and his surrender which 
took place within its limits. The general circumstances con- 
nected with this campaign have been already narrated ; but a 
more particular notice of some of the events which transpired 
in this county may with propriety be introduced here. 

After the defeat of Colonels Baum and Breyman at Benning- 
ton, General Burgoyne had employed his troops in transport 
ing military stores lrom Ticonderoga to Fort Edward, until the 
12th of September. 

Meanwhile General Schuyler, who had retreated from Fort 
Edward to Stillwater, and thence to the islands at the mouth of 
the Mohawk, had received considerable reinforcements. On 
the 19th of August, he was superseded by General Gates, who 
decided to return to Stillwater, which place he reached with his 
army on the 9th of September. He immediately selected a 
strong position on Bemis' Heights, and proceeded to fortify his 
camp. 

On the 13th and 14th, Burgoyne crossed the Hudson and 
encamped on the heights and plains of Saratoga. On the 17th 
he approached within four miles of the American camp, and on 
the 19th advanced against the left wing of the American army, 
designing if possible to drive them from their position. The ac- 
tion, at first partial, at length became general, and both sides 
being repeatedly reinforced, the conflict continued till night. 

The English remained near the battle field ; the Americans 
retired in good order to their camp, but a short distance from 
the scene of carnage. Both parties claimed the victory ; the 
English because they held the battle ground ; the Americans 
because they had maintained their position. The British loss, 
however, was considerably greater than that of the Americans, 
and in their circumstances, to fight without a decisive victory, 
was defeat. 

The day after this battle, General Eurgoyne took a position 
almost within cannon shot of the American camp, fortified his 
ri^ht wing, and extended his left to the river. Both parties re- 
tained their position until the 7th of October ; Burgoyne in the 
hope of receiving aid from Sir Henry Clinton, to whom he had 
sent the most pressing entreaties for assistance ; and General 
Gates in the confidence of receiving new reinforcements daily. 

Receiving no further intelligence from Sir Henry, and find- 
ing himself compelled to diminish the rations of his soldiers, the 
British General determined to test again the strength of his 
adversary. 



246 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Accordingly he selected 1500 choice troops, whom he com- 
manded in person, aided by three of his bravest generals. With 
these he advanced to the attack, while a corps of rangers, In- 
dians, and provincials were ordered to take a circuitous route, 
and show themselves in the rear of the American camp. 

General Gates perceived the design of the enemy and made 
such an arrangement of his forces as effectually to defeat Gen- 
eral Burgoyne's project ; w r hile at the same time, he despatched 
Colonel Morgan with his corps to a wood which commanded the 
right flank of the enemy. 

Having succeeded in reaching this, unperceived by the Brit- 
ish, Colonel Morgan awaited the moment wdien they were en- 
gaged with the American force in front to pour a deadly and 
incessant fire upon their right flank. 

Meantime, General Gates ordered another division to inter- 
cept the retreat of the enemy to their camp. In the attempt to 
prevent this movement General Frazer, one of Burgoyne's most 
efficient officers was mortally wounded, and the artillery corps 
routed. Finding the fortune of the day against him, the British 
General retreated to his camp, closely pressed by the Ameri- 
can army headed by the impetuous Arnold, who, with more 
than his usual, rashness forced their entrenchments ; but being 
wounded and having his horse killed under him, was compelled 
to retire. That portion of the British camp occupied by the 
German troops, was carried by a Massachusetts regiment be- 
longing to Arnold's division. 

Darkness put an end to the conflict. The advantage gained by 
the Americans w T as decisive. The loss of the British in killed, 
wounded, and prisoners was heavy, and among the number 
were several officers of distinction. Their camp too was pene- 
trated by the enemy. 

During the night Burgoyne withdrew with his army to a 
stronger position on the river heights. Aware that his adver- 
sary would soon be compelled to surrender from want of provi- 
sions, General Gates did not risk another assault, but contented 
himself with posting strong bodies of troops at every avenue by 
which retreat w T as possible, and .awaited the result. 

Burgoyne attempted a retreat, but could only reach the heights 
of Saratoga near Schuylerville, where he encamped. Strong 
bodies of American troops guarded the Hudson and forbade the 
effort to cross. Driven to desperation, he determined as a last 
resource to abandon every thing except the arms and provisions 
which his soldiers could carry, and crossing at or above Fort 
Edward, press on by forced marches to Fort George. 

General Gates had foreseen and prepared for this movement ; 
in addition to the strong guards placed at the fords of the Hud- 



SARATOGA COUNTY. 247 

son, he had formed an entrenched camp on the high grounds 
between Fort Edward and Fort George. On learning this fact, 
the British General found himself compelled to surrender, and 
accordingly on the 17th of October the treaty of capitulation 
was signed, and the British army piled their arms on the plains 
of Saratoga, east of the village of Schuylerville. 

Congress awarded to General Gates and his army their 
thanks, and presented him with a medal of gold, struck in com- 
memoration of the event. 

Villages. Ballston Spa, in the town of Milton, the seat of 
justice for the county, is pleasantly situated, and is celebrated 
for its mineral waters, which are similar in character to those 
of Saratoga. It has a number of manufactories, and consider- 
able business. It is connected with Schenectady, Troy, and 
Saratoga Springs, by railroad. Population, 1500. 

Saratoga Springs, situated on a sandy plain, in the town of 
the same name, is one of the most noted watering places in the 
world. Broadway, its principal street, is wide and shady, and 
during the summer, constantly thronged with the gay and fash- 
ionable, who resort hither for pleasure and relaxation. It has 
several fine hotels, which during the summer are crowded with 
visitors. There are also several academies and female semin- 
aries, and some manufactories. It is connected with Troy and 
Schenectady by railroad. Population, 3500. l-v^ \ ^"V 

There are eighteen or twenty springs in the town, of which Congress, Put- 
nam's, Pavilion, Iodine, Hamilton, and Flat rock, are the principal. They are 
regarded as efficacious in bilious and scrofulous diseases. 

Waterford, at the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson 
rivers, and at the head of sloop navigation on the latter, com- 
bines to a great extent, the advantages of railroad, river and 
canal transportation, and hydraulic power. It is largely engaged 
in manufactures, which, with its agricultural products, annually 
amount to between one and two millions of dollars. A bridge 
800 feet in length connects it with Lansingburgh. The Wa- 
terford sand used for castings, is esteemed the best in the 
country. Population, about 1800. 

Mechanicsville is a small but thriving manufacturing village, 
in the town of Stillwater. Population, 600. 

Stillwater, in the town of the same name, is distinguished for 
the battles fought between General Gates and Burgoyne, near 
Bemis' Heights, in 1777, and Schuylerville, in the town of Sar- 
atoga, for the surrender of the latter, which took place a short 
distance east of that village. 



XX. ONONDAGA COUNTY. 

Square miles, 711. Population, 70,175. 

Organized, 1794. Valuation, 1845, $15,540,164. 




1. Lysander, 1789. 

2. Manlius, 1789. 

3. Marcellus, 1789. 

4. Onondaga, 1789. 

5. Pompey, 1789. 

6. Fabius, 179S. 

7. Camillus,1799. 

8. Tully, 1803. 

9. Otsego, 1806. 



TOWNS. 

10. Cicero, 1807. 

11. Salina, 1809. 

12. Spafford, 1811. 

13. Lafayette, 1825. 

14. Clav, 1827. 

15. Elbridge, 1S29. 
K5. Van Buren, 1829. 

17. Skeneateles, 1830. 

18. De Witt, 1835. 



ONONDAGA COUNTY. 249 

Rivers, a. Oswego River, d. Chittenango Creek, c. Onondaga. 

b. Limestone, e. Nine Mile. j. Oneida river, k. Seneca. 
Lakes. f. Skeneateles. Z. Oneida, g. Onondaga, h. Otisco. 

i. Cross. 
Villages. Syracuse. Manlius. Skeneateles. Salina. Geddes. 

Jordan. 

Boundaries. North by Oswego county and Oneida lake ; 
East by Madison county ; South by Cortland ; and West by 
Cayuga counties. 

Surface. The northern portion of the county is level; the 
southern hilly, but arable. 

The watershed, or height of land dividing the northern and 
southern waters of the state, passes through the southern por- 
tion of this county. 

Rivers. The Seneca, or Oswego river, with its tributaries, 
drains most of the north-western portion. The other principal 
streams, flowing northward, are the Oneida River, Chittenan- 
go, Limestone, Butternut, Onondaga, and Nine Mile Creeks. 
The Tioughnioga and Cold Creeks, running southward, have 
their source in this county. 

Lakes. Oneida lake forms a portion of the northeastern 
boundary. Skeneateles lake, lying mostly in this county, is a 
beautiful sheet of water, surrounded by picturesque scenery, and 
abounding in fish. Its trout are particularly celebrated for their 
size and abundance. The lake is fifteen miles in length, and 
from half a mile to one mile in width. 

Onondaga lake, situated toward the centre of the county, is 
eight miles long, and from two to four wide. It abounds in fish. 
Most of the salt springs are near its banks. 

Otisco and Cross are the only other lakes of importance. 

Climate. The climate of this county is mild and agreeable, 
more uniform than in some other parts of the state. The dis- 
eases of the county are principally of a bilious type. 

Geology and Minerals. The northern portion of the county 
is comprised in that geological formation known as the Ontario 
group or division, consisting of marly sandstone, soft green 
shales, and the gypsum and salt rocks, (limestone, ) known as the 
Onondaga salt group. South of this, limestone containing gyp- 
sum predominates, and still farther south, slate is the prevailing 
rock. 

Salt is the most valuable and abundant mineral production of this county. The 
salt is obtained from springs, (probably charged with salt from some deep seated 
locality of the mineral,) in the town of Salina. 

Oxide of iron, gypsum, marl, water limestone, or hydraulic cement, selenite, 
fibrous gypsum, fluor spar, and serpentine, are also found in the county. Sulphur 
springs exist in Manlius and many other parts of the county. The marble from 



250 



STATE OF NEW YORK. 



the abundance of encrinites and other fossils which it contains, presents a beau- 
tiful birdseye appearance, which renders it a valuable building material. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is a calcareous 
loam, intermingled with vegetable mould, and is highly fertile. 
Maple, basswood, beech, hemlock and pine, are the principal 
forest trees of the county. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the occupation of a majority of the 
inhabitants. The soil of the county seems equally well adapted 
to grazing and the culture of grain. Large quantities of all the 
grains, as well as flax, potatoes, and other vegetables are raised. 
In 1845, more barley was raised in this county than in any other 
in the state. Large quantities of butter, cheese, wool and pork, 
are also produced. 

The county is also largely engaged in manufactures. In 
1845, they amounted to nearly two and a half millions of dollars, 
consisting principally of flour, lumber, cotton and woollen goods, 
iron, distilled and malt liquors, leather and paper. 

Commerce. The junction of the Oswego and Erie canals, in 
this county, gives it a somewhat extensive commerce, both with 
the Hudson river and the Lakes. The tolls received at Salina, 
in 1845, amounted to over $52,000, indicating a business of 
more than $2,000,000. 

Mines. Under this head may be included the salt works in 
the town of Salina. At five different points in this town, salt is 
produced by the evaporation of brine from the springs.* 

In 1840, the amount of salt thus manufactured was 2,622,305 
bushels. The springs belong to the state, which receives two 
mills per bushel for pumping the water, and six cents per bushel 
duty on the salt. Nearly 11,000 men are employed in the busi- 
ness. . 

The production of hydraulic cement, so largely used in canals 
and cisterns, which is extensively prosecuted in this county, also 
belongs to the head of mines. 

Staple Productions. Salt, butter, barley, oats, wheat, 
wool, and hydraulic cement. 

Schools. There were in this county in 1846, 304 school dis- 
tricts. The schools are taught on an average eight months 
each. $30,857 was expended for the tuition of 24,325 children. 
The district libraries contained 37,586 volumes. There were 
also in this county thirty-six unincorporated private and select 

* The concentration of the brine is accomplished in two ways, viz. 1st, by solar 
evaporation, for which purpose large shallow vats are constructed, and provided 
with movable roofs, to protect them from rains ; 2d, by boiling, which is accom- 
plished by means of immense shallow boilers. Crystallization takes place, though 
in different degrees, by both processes; in the former, the crystals are larger, 
and the variety known in the markets, as coarse salt, is produced. The latter pro- 
duces the fine or table salt. 



ONONDAGA COUNTY. 251 

schools, with 693 pupils, and seven academies, with 338 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Roman Catholics, 
Dutch Reformed, Unitarians, Jews, Universalists, and Friend?. 

History. In the town of Pompey, a stone was found some 
years since, about fourteen inches long, twelve broad, and eight 
thick. It had a figure of a serpent entwined about a tree, and 
this inscription. 



Leo X De 
VIx 1520- 



L. S. 

tn 



This inscription has been interpreted — Leo X. by the grace 
(or will) of God, sixth year of his pontificate, 1520. L. S. the 
initials of the person buried, (as it was undoubtedly a sepulchral 
monument,)— the cross, an indication that he was a Catholic, 
and the character n perhaps a rude intimation that he belonged 
to the masonic fraternity. The date is correct, Leo X. having 
been elected Pope in 1513-14. It seems probable that some 
Spanish adventurers, in quest of gold or silver, lured by the 
report of the salt springs, and hoping to find there the object of 
their search, had wandered hither from Florida, which had been 
discovered and explored in 1502. One of the number dying 
here, his companions erected this simple memorial to mark 
the place of his burial. 

In 1655, Father Dablon, a French Jesuit, established himself 
at one of the Onondaga villages, in the present town of Salina, 
as a missionary. The succeeding year, the governor of the 
French possessions in Canada, at his request, sent a colony of 
fifty men, under the command of the Sieur Dupuys, to settle on 
the banks of the Onondaga Lake. 

For a time the Indians were friendly, but at length they be- 
came hostile, and the colonists were compelled to escape by 
stealth. Having secretly prepared boats sufficient to transport 
themselves and their effects, one of their number succeeded in 
inducing the Indians to make a feast, and when, after a hearty 
repast, all had sunk into a profound slumber, he and his comrades 
availed themselves of the opportunity to escape, and ere the 
Indians had awaked, they were beyond their reach. 

In 1666, a French settlement was formed, in the northwestern 
part of the town of Pompey, and flourished for three years, 
when a party of Spaniards arrived in the village, and quarrel- 
ing with the French, instigated the natives to destroy them. 
The Indians, looking with no favorable eye on either, destroyed 
both, leaving not a survivor to tell the manner of their death. 

In the Onondaga Hollow, in the town of Onondaga, formerly 
stood the town, castle, and council house, of the Onondaga 



252 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Indians, the most formidable and highly civilized tribe of the 
Iroquois confederacy. Here the great council fire was always 
kept burning, and all matters of importance to the interests of 
the confederacy were decided. All the leagues and treaties 
with the whites were made here, and from this tribe was select- 
ed the grand Sachem, or principal civil chief, while the Mo- 
hawks furnished the principal war chiefs. 

Garangula, Thurensera, Decanesora, and Sadekanaghtie, 
were the most celebrated among their orators, in their early in- 
tercourse with the whites. 

Black Kettle w r as the most renowned of their warriors, and 
more than once he carried war and devastation among the 
French settlements, even to the gates of their citadels. He 
was treacherously murdered in 1697, by a party of Algonquins, 
at the instigation of the French. 

In 1696, Count Frontenac, with his usual subtlety, attempted 
to seduce the Five Nations from their good faith toward the Eng- 
lish, and induce them to form a separate treaty of peace with the 
French. Failing in this, he determined to avenge himself on 
the Onondagas, whom he regarded as the principal instigators of 
the opposition to his wishes. Accordingly on the ninth of July, 
1696, he set out on an expedition against them, with a large force. 

The Onondagas, not receiving seasonable succors from the 
other members of the confederacy, and finding themselves, 
(though numbering about 1500 warriors,) unable to cope single 
handed with so formidable a force, abandoned and set fire to 
their dwellings, aYid left to the French commander a barren 
victory. 

The Onondagas, after the return of the French, repossessed 
themselves of their beautiful valley and reared again their coun- 
cil house and castle. They were the fast friends of the English, 
and under the direction of Sir John Johnson, took part with them 
in the revolution. In consequence of their predatory incursions, 
Colonel Van Schaick was despatched by General James Clin- 
ton, to lay waste their towns. As before, they retired at the ap- 
proach of the invading force, and destroyed their town and cas- 
tle ; only one of their number was slain. 

In a few weeks after, they revenged this attack, by an invasion 
of the settlement of Cobelskill, Schoharie county, in which they 
butchered several of the unarmed inhabitants. During the late 
war with Great Britain, they took up arms on the side of the 
Americans. 

The first permanent white settler in the county was a Mr. 
Webster, who came here in 1786, and settled in Onondaga 
Hollow, intermarrying with the Indians. In 178S, he obtained 
permission from the Indians for Messrs. Danforth and Tyler to 



ONONDAGA COUNTY. 253 

establish themselves in the same valley. This county was 
originally part of the Military Tract. In the spring of 1788, set- 
tlements were made in several towns of the county. In 1790, 
Manlius was settled. Since the commencement of the present 
century, the growth of the county has been very rapid. 

IE -. S use, the county seat, is situated in the town 
of Salina, on the Erie canal, at its junction with the Oswego 
canal. It was incorporated in 1825, and owes its rapid growth 
to the facilities for trade afforded by the canals, and to the ex- 
tensive salt springs in its neighborhood. 

From half a million to a million of bushels of salt are annually 
produced here ; beside iron ware, leather, machinery, flour, &c 
Population, nearly 10.000. 

It has several extensive and well conducted hotels ; its public 
schools are of a high order ; and its substantial buildings and 
numerous manufactories indicate the enterprise of its inhab- 
itants. 

Salina, in the same town, possesses the most productive salt 
springs in the state, yielding from one to two millions of bushels 
annually. Its population is about 3000. 

Geddes and Liverpool, in the same township, the former on 
the Erie, and the latter on the Oswego canal, are thriving vil- 
lages, containing productive salt springs. 

Skeneateles , in the town of the same name, is pleasantly 
situated at the foot of Skeneateles lake. Its site commands 
a fine view of the lake, for a distance of seven or eight miles. 
Its grow T th has not been rapid, but healthy, and it is one of the 
most flourishing villages of the county. Population, about 1500- 

Manlius, in the town of the same name, is situated on the 
Cherry Valley turnpike. It has a flourishing incorporated acad- 
emy, several manuiactories, and about 1200 inhabitants. 

Jo dan, in the town of Elbridge, is situated on the Erie canal, 
and is engaged to some extent in manufactures. Population, 
about 1200. 

Onondaga Hollow, in the town of Onondaga, is pleasantly 
situated on the great western turnpike, four miles south of Syra- 
cuse. The Onondaga academy located here, is an old and 
flourishing institution. Population, about 800. 

About three miles south of the village is the Onondaga Indian 
reservation, where reside the remnant of that once powerful tribe. 
The legislature, in April, 1846, granted the sum of $300 for 
the erection of a school-house for the children belonging to this 
reservation, and a well conducted school is now maintained 
there. 

Fayelteville, in the town of Manlius, -has an incorporated 
academy, and is a thriving village. Population, 900. 
12 



XXL TIOGA COUNTY. 



Square miles, 500. 
Organized, 1794. 



Population, 22,459. . 
Valuation, 1845, $1,804,211, 




1. Owego, 1791. 6. Newark, 1S23. 

2. Tioga, 1800. 7. Barton, 1824. 

3. Spencer, 1806. 8. Nichols, 1824. 

4. Berkshire, 1808. 9. Richford, 1833. 

5. Candor, 1811. 

Rivers, fyc. G. Susquehanna, a. West Owego Creek. 

Owego. c. Cattotong. d. Cayuta. 
Villages. Owego. Rushville. 



b. East 



Boundaries. North by Tompkins and Cortland; East by 
Broome ; South by the State of Pennsylvania •> and West by 
Chemung and Tompkins counties. 



TIOGA COUNTY. 255 

Surface. This, like the other counties bordering on the 
Pennsylvania line, is elevated. Apparently it was once level, 
but it is now cut into hills and valleys by the eastern branch of 
the Susquehanna, and its tributaries, which affords abundance 
of water for the convenience of the farmer, and in many in- 
stances, it may be used for manufacturing purposes. On either 
side of the Susquehanna, are lofty swells of heavy rolling land, 
yet the creeks are frequently skirted with broad valleys. 

Rivers. The Susquehanna, having a south-west course 
through the southern part, and its branches the East and West 
Owego, Cattotong and Cayuta creeks, flowing southerly, are 
the principal streams of the county. 

Railroads. The New York and Erie railroad will probably 
pass through the valley of the Susquehanna. The Ithaca and 
Owego railroad is already in operation, connecting the two 
villages whose name it bears. 

Climate. The county has a low temperature, owing to the 
elevation of its surface. It is regarded as healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. This county lies wholly within the 
Chemung sandstone formation, except a small tract of the old 
red sandstone upon its southern border. 

Its minerals are few. Marl is found in the town of Spencer, which is burned 
for lime. There are several sulphur springs in the county. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is mostly fertile, 
consisting of a light gravelly loam, with occasional patches of 
marl and clay. Grass succeeds better than grain in the high- 
lands, but the valleys yield large crops of wheat and corn, while 
the other crops thrive almost every where. White pine, hem- 
lock, spruce, oak, maple, and beech are the principal timber, and 
have a dense growth. Maple sugar is produced in considerable 
quantities. 

Pursuits. Agriculture. The people are for the most part 
engaged in agricultural pursuits. Some grain is raised, and 
considerable attention paid to the products of the dairy. 

Manufactures. The only manufactures of importance are 
those of lumber and flour. 

Commerce. The products of the county find their way to 
market, by the Susquehanna river, and the Ithaca and Owego 
railroad. 

Staple Productions. Oats, corn, potatoes, wheat and butter. 

Schools. This county has 139 district schools, taught in 
1846, an average period of eight months each, having 8291 
scholars, and paying their teachers over $9,329. The school 
libraries contained, the same year, 12,744 volumes. 



256 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

It has nine private schools, with 294 pupils, and one academy, with 125 stu- 
dents. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Congre- 
gationalists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians. The entire 
number of churches is thirty-two, of clergyman, ibrty-two. 

History. Tioga county was taken from Montgomery county 
in 1694. Its name signifies a point or promontory in the river, 
a junction of waters. It was the Seneca name for the Chemung 
river* 

The towns of Richford, Berkshire and Newark were part of 
the tract known as the " Massachusetts ten townships," which 
were ceded to that state by New York. 

Barton, Tioga, Owego, and Nichols, were granted by the 
state to military claimants. Considerable portions of these 
townships were sold at eighteen cents per acre. 

The county was settled by emigrants from New Hampshire, 
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Ne,w Jersey, and 
Pennsylvania. The first settlement was made in 1785, at 
Owego, by James McMaster and William Taylor, who cleared, 
the first season, tenor fifteen acres, and raised a crop of corn 
from the same land. 

A few years after its first settlement, there was a great fam- 
ine in this section of country. It occurred just before harvest- 
ing, and for six weeks the inhabitants were without bread of 
any kind. Meanwhile they subsisted principally upon roots, 
and though they became very much emaciated and feeble, none 
died of hunger. It was occasioned by the arrival of a greater 
number of settlers than usual, and a scarcity in Wyoming that 
season. Famine is at present little dreaded in this region. 

Villages. Owego Village, in the town of Owego, is pleas- 
antly situated on the north side of the Susquehanna, and is the 
county town. It was commenced in 1785, and laid out into 
lots in 1794 or 1795. It is advantageously situated for trade, 
has a large water power, and by means of the Ithaca and Owe- 
go railroad, and the Susquehanna river, a ready access to 
market. 

Besides the court house, jail, and county clerk's office, it has 
four churches, an incorporated academy, and a number of stores 
and manufactories. A bridge a fourth of a mile in length 
crosses the Susquehanna at this place. 

This village takes its name from the Owego creek, which 
empties into the Susquehanna near it. Population 2500. 

Rushville or Nichols Village, in the town of Nichols, Can- 
dor, Newark, Richfieid, and Spencer, in the towns of the same 
names are all thriving villages. 



XXII. SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 

Square miles, 621. Population, 32,488. 

Organized, 1795. Valuation in 1845, $1,804,165. 




1. Schoharie, 178S. 

2. Blenheim, 1797. 

3. Broome, 1797. 

4. Cobleskill, 1797. 

5. Middleburgh, 1797. 

6. Sharon, 1797. 

7. Jefferson, 1803. 
Mountains, m. Kaatsbergs. 
Rivers, Sfc. A A. Schoharie Creek 



8. Carlisle, 1807. 

9. Summit, 1819. 

10. Fulton, 1828. 

11. Conesville, 1836. 

12. Seward, 1840. 

13. Wright, 1846. 

14. Esperance, 1846. 

c. Cobleskill. f. Foxes Creek. 



258 



STATE OF NEW YORK 



Lakes, 8fc. e. The Vly. 
Battle Fields. Cobleskill. Middleburgh. 
Villages. Schoharie. Esperance. 

Boundaries. North by Montgomery and Schenectady ; East 
by Schenectady and Albany ; South by Delaware and Greene, 
and West by Delaware and Otsego counties. 

Surface. Mountainous. The county is divided into two un- 
equal sections by the Schoharie kill or creek. The main branch 
of the Kaatsbergs or Catskill mountains cross the south part of 
the county, through Broome, Blenheim, Jefferson, and Summit, 
to the line of Otsego county, broken through, however, by the 
Schoharie creek. 

A spur from the same range passes northward, through 
Broome, Middleburgh, and Schoharie, into Schenectady and 
Montgomery counties. This spur is called the Middleberg, 
from its position between the Helderbergs and the main range 
of the Kaatsbergs. 

The mountains west of Schoharie creek maintain an eleva- 
tion of from 2000 to 2600 feet. The Middleberg is 1700 feet 
high, at its most elevated portion, in the south part of the 
county, but declines gradually towards the east, till it mingles 
with the Helderbergs. 

Rivers and Creeks. The Schoharie creek with its tribu- 
taries, the Cobleskill, Foxes and Breakabeen creeks, are the 
principal streams in the county. 

Bowman's creek, and the Catskill and Charlotte rivers, also 
take their rise in this county. 

In the town of Middleburgh is a large marsh, called the Vlaie 
or Vly, which is the source of the Catskill. 

Climate. From the elevation of its surface, the climate of 
Schoharie county is cold, but healthful. 

Geology and Minerals. The rocks of this county are tran- 
sition, consisting of slate, graywacke, and limestone. The lat- 
ter, however, predominates, and is generally the surface rock 
of the county. Portions of the Helderberg series, and the Erie 
and Catskill groups occupy the county. The last two are con- 
fined to the southern part. 

Water limestone is found in great abundance in the northern and central por- 
tions of the county. 

On the west side of Schoharie creek, in the town of Schoharie, are found beds 
of massive strontianite, of extraordinary beauty. It was regarded by the inhabi- 
tants as marble for many years. Arragonite, heavy spar, and calcareous spar, are 
also found in the water lime formation. Portions of the water limestone have been 
excavated for lithographic stones, and are said to be equal in quality to the German. 

Fine specimens of fibrous sulphate of barytes and carbonate of lime are found 
in Carlisle, and fibrous celestine, and crystallized iron pyrites, in Schoharie. Bog 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 259 

iron ore occurs in the same vicinity. Calcareous tufa abounds on the side of the 
mountains. Anhydrous sulphate of lime has been discovered in Sharon. 

Gebhard's cavern, or Ball's cave, in the town of Schoharie, contains numerous 
apartments abounding in stalactites and stalagmites of great beauty ; some of the 
apartments are large and magnificent. 

Otsgaragee cavern, in the same town, has numerous large apartments, highly 
decorated with spars and stalactites. There are other caves in the vicinity, of 
less extent. 

There are several sulphur springs ; those at Sharon have attained considerable 
notoriety. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The flats in the valley 
of Schoharie creek, are among the most fertile lands in the 
state. The county generally is ferti'e, and some sections are 
adapted to wheat 5 some portion of the southern towns is ster- 
ile and sandy. 

The timber co^.sist^ of oak, maple, elm, linden, ash, poplar, 
hickory, walnut, white pine, and hemlock. The two latter 
prevail i i he southern part of the county. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the employment of a majority of 
the inhabitants. Oats, rye, barley, wheat, corn, buckwheat, 
peas, potatoes, and flax, are raised in large quantities, and 
butter and wool produced to a very considerable extent. 

Manufactures generally have not attained any great impor- 
tance. The facilities afforded by the hemlock forests, have led 
to the extensive tanning of leather. The quantity prepared in 
the county, in 1845, exceeded in value $400,000. Flour and 
lumber are also manufactured to some extent. 

The county has no commerce and no mines. 

The Staple Productions are oats, rye, barley, wheat, corn, 
peas, butter, and wool. 

Schools. There are in the county, 184 school-houses. In 
1846, schools were taught, on an average, nine months; 11,043 
children received instruction, at an expense for tuition of §13,726. 
The district libraries contained 17,985 volumes. 

There were also in the county, twenty-five private schools, with 334 scholars, 
and two academies with ninety-four pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, 
Dutch Reformed, Presbyterians, Unitarians, and Universalists. 
Number of churches fifty-eight, of clergymen fifty-six. 

History. The first white settlements in this county were 
made in the spring of 1711. 

The benevolent Queen Anne formed the design of establish- 
ing a colony of Germans, the families of German soldiers who 
had served in the English wars, in her transatlantic posses- 
sions. She accordingly sent them over to New York, and 
thence to Albany, and permitted them to select for themselves, 
from the unoccupied lands of New York, a tract suited to their 



260 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

tastes. They selected the valley of the Schoharie, and the 
Queen's agent accordingly purchased for them, about 20,000 
acres of fertile land, along that creek. 

Industrious and frugal, these hardy settlers soon acquired a 
competence, and perhaps in no part of the stat -, t the com- 
mencement of the roubles which preceded the Revolution, 
could there have been found a more peaceful and happy settle- 
ment. Highly cultivated farms, and substantial dwellings greet- 
ed the eye of the traveller in every direction. 

But in those exciting time>, differences of opinio prevailed, 
and when the conflict came on, the citizens of Schohaire county 
were found arrayed in hostility against each other, and, oil 
times, members of the same family met in deadly strife. 

The patriots of Schoharie county seemed, in an especial man- 
ner, to have excited the hostility of the enemy. Again and 
again did the marauding hordes of tories and Indians, under 
the command of Sir John Johnson, Brant, and' the infamous 
Walter Butler, descend upon the farms of the hapless citizens, 
murdering and scalping all whom they met, without regard to 
age or sex, plundering and burning their dwellings, and making 
that fertile and beautiful valley a desolate and gloomy waste. 

On the 1st of June, 1778, a bloody conflict took place at Cob- 
leskill, in which about fifty whites, regular troops and militia, 
contended with a force of 350 Indians, under the command of 
Brant, until twenty -two of their number were killed, and eight 
or ten more severely wounded. 

A short distance from Middleburgh village are still visible the 
remains of the old Middle Fort, which was quite noted in the 
annals of the border wars in this county. On the 17th of Octo- 
ber, 1780, it was attacked by Sir John Johnson with a force of 
800 tories and Indians. 

The garrison of the fort consisted of about two hundred con- 
tinental troops, and between one and two hundred militia. 
Their supply of ammunition was scanty, and the commander of 
the fort, Major Woolsey, entirely unfitted for his station. 

The garrison, however, determined to defend the fort to the 
last, and when Major Woolsey proposed to surrender, they op- 
posed it, and as he v. as so much overcome with fear as to be a 
subject of derision to the garrison, Colonel Vrooman, a militia 
officer in the fort, took the command. 

After continuing the attack through the greater part of the 
day, without effect, Sir John withdrew down the valley of the 
Schoharie, burning all the houses and other buildings in his 
route. In this action the loss of the British w T as heavy, while 



SCHOHARIE COUNTY. 261 

that of the garrison was but four wounded, two of whom after- 
ward died. 

There were two other forts in Schoharie county, the Upper, 
five miles southeast from the middle, on the Schoharie creek, in 
the tc 
harie. 

Many other incidents connected with these incursions are 
deeply interesting, but pertaining only to individual conflicts, 
must necessarily be omitted. 

Justice, however, requires that we should notice, in passing, the brave and 
fearless Schoharie rifleman, Timothy Murphy, whose services to the cause of 
freedom. were numerous, and rendered with a cheerfulness and devotion worthy 
of all praise. Such was his skill in the use of his rifle, that the foeman who 
came within its range, was always sure to "bite the dust." 

After the Revolution, quiet was restored, and the beautiful 
valley of the Schoharie was soon again lined with farms and 
dwellings, which indicated the thrift and competency of their 
owners. 

The German language is still spoken by many of the older in- 
habitants, but their children receive an English education. 

Villages, &c. Schoharie, in the town of the same name, is 
a small village situated in the midst of a region rich in mine- 
rals. Its public buildings are neat and substantial. Population 
about 500. 

Esperancp, the only incorporated village in the county, is in 
the town of the same name. It has some manufactures. Pop- 
ulation about 500. 

Sharon Springs, in the town of Sharon, and near the boun- 
dary line of Schoharie, Otsego, and Montgomery counties, has 
recently become a place of fashionable resort. The sulphur wa- 
ters are said strongly to resemble those of the White Sul- 
phur springs of Virginia. There is also a chalybeate spring 
here. The Pavilion, a fine hotel, was erected in 1836, and 
during the season is usually thronged with visitors.* 

* The following is Ur. Chilton's analysis of the waters of these springs. 

Grains. 
Sulphate of magnesia, (Epsom salts,) - 42.40 

" lime ------ in.62 

Chloride of sodium ----- 2.24 

" magnesia - - - - 2.40 

Hydrosulphuret of sodium ) 9 0Q 

" calciums " "*> 



Total 160.94 

Sulphuretted hvdrogen gas, 16 cubic inches. 

12* 



XXIII. STEUBEN COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 1400. 
Organized, 1796. 



Population, 51,679. 
Valuation, 1845, $6,172,414.. 




1. Addison, 1796. 

2. Bath, 1796. 

3. Canisteo, .1796. 

4. Dansville, 1796. 

5. Painted Post, 1796. 

6. Wayne, 1796. 

7. Reading, 1806. 

8. Pulteney, 1808. 

9. Troupsburg, 1808. 

10. Conhocton, 1812. 

11. Howard, 1812. 

12. Orange, 1813. 

13. Pittsburgh, 1813. 

14. Hornellsville, 1820. 

15. Wheeler, 1820. 

16. Cameron, 1822. 



TOWNS. 

17. Tyrone, 1822. 

18. Urbana, 1S22. 

19. Ervvin, 1826. 

20. Hornby, 1826. 

21. Jasper, 1827. 

22. Greenwood, 1827. 
23 Woodhull, 1828. 

24. Campbell, 1831. 

25. Bradford, 1837. 

26. Lindiev, 1837. 

27. Caton,*lS37. 

28. Avoca, 1843. 

29. Hartsville, 1843. 

30. Thurston, 1843. 

31. West Union, 1843. 



STEUBEN COUNTY. 263 

Rivers, 0. Chemung river, a. Canisteo. b. Conhocton. c. Ben- 
nett's creek, d. Tuscarora. j. Mud. k. Five Mile. 1. Twelve 
Mile. q. Cowanesqua. r. Canascraga. s. Tioga river. 

Lakes. BB. Seneca, m. Crooked, n. Little, o. Mud. p. Loon. 

Villages. Bath. Corning. Painted Post. Hammondsport. Hor- 
nellsvilte. 

Boundaries. North by Livingston, Ontario and Yates coun- 
ties ; East by Seneca lake and Chemung county ; South by the 
State of Pennsylvania ; and West by Livingston and Allegany 
counties. 

Surface. This county belongs to the great table land, which 
extends through the southern tier of counties ; owing, however, 
to the perishable character of the rocks on winch it is based, 
the rivers have worn deep valleys, whose precipitous banks, 
frequently 400 or 500 feet in height, give it a greatly diversified 
surface. The general elevation of the table land is about 1500 
feet above tide water. An irregular ridge on the west sepa- 
rates the waters of the Susquehanna from those of Genesee 
river. 

Rivers. The principal stream of the county is the Chemung, 
formed by the union of the Tioga, the Canisteo, and the Con- 
hocton. The name of the river means " a horn in the water," 
and is said to be derived from an immense horn or tusk which 
protruded from the bank of the river many years since. These 
streams are navigable during the freshet season. Their prin- 
cipal tributaries are Bennett's and Tuscarora creeks, of the 
Canisteo ; and Mud, Five Mile and Twelve Mile creeks, of 
the Conhocton. The only other streams of any size are the 
Canascraga and Cowanesqua. 

Lakes. Seneca lake forms the eastern boundary of the 
county for about eight miles. Crooked lake extends into it from 
Yates for about the same distance. Little, Mud and Loon are 
the names of the other lakes. The latter has a subterranean 
outlet half a mile long. 

Railroads. The Corning and Blossburg railroad entering 
the county from the south, terminates at Corning, which is sit- 
uated at the head of the navigable feeder of the Chemung ca- 
nal. The New York and Erie railroad will pass through this 
county. 

Climate. The surface is so much elevated that the winters 
are generally cold and severe, and the seasons backward. The 
county, however, is generally healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. The surface rock of this county, 
to the depth of nearly 1000 feet, is the Chemung group of sand- 



264 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

stones and shales. It has some beds of bog iron ore, and several 
sulphur springs. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. Most of the soil is pro- 
ductive. The uplands are well adapted to grazing. The allu- 
vial flats of the Chemung river c< mprise the richest lands in 
the county, and are said to exceed those of the Mohawk in fer- 
tility. 

The county north of the Conhocton river, and east of Five 
Mile creek, is covered chiefly with oak, chesnut, hickory, black 
walnut, yellow and white pine timber ; between the Canisteo 
and Conhocton, beech, maple, white pine, and hemlock, are the 
prevailing forest trees, except a narrow tract on the Canisteo, 
where oak prevails. South of the Canisteo, beech, maple, 
white pine, and hemlock, are predominant. The oak and yel- 
low pine lands produce excellent wheat; the other lands are 
better adapted to grass. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the chief pursuit. Grain is largely 
produced on the alluvial lands. Great numbers of cattle and 
sheep are raised on the table lands. The lumber business is 
an important branch of industry. 

Manufactures are increasing in importance. Lumber is 
largely manufactured in the southern part of the county. Flour, 
leather, and fulled cloths, are also produced in considerable 
quantities. 

The Commerce of the county, by means of the spring naviga- 
tion of the rivers, the navigable feeder of the Chemung canal, 
and the facilities afforded by the Corning and Blossburg railroad, 
is quite large and increasing. 

Staple Productions. Wheat, oats, corn, potatoes, butter, 
wool, and lumber. 

Schools. In this county there were, in 1846, 326 district 
schoolhouses, in which schools were maintained an average 
period of seven months. The number of scholars in attendance 
was 19,771, and the sum expended for their* tuition $20,918. 
The district libraries contained 30,125 volumes. 

There were also twenty-four private schools, with 626 pupils, and one acade- 
my and one female seminary, with 148 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Bap- 
tists, Episcopalians, Universalists, Unitarians, and Roman 
Catholics. There are seventy-five churches, and 1 14 clergymen 
of all denominations, in the county. 

History. This county is indebted to the enterprsie and en- 
ergy of Mr. Charles Williamson, the agent of the Pulteney 
estate, for its early settlement and rapid growth. Finding emi- 
grants unwilling to settle upon the elevated lands of this county, 
while the more alluring flats of the Genesee remained in mar- 



STEUBEN COUNTY. 265 

ket, he resolved himself to set the example of emigration to 
this section. Accordingly, in 1792, with two companions, he 
cut his way through the forests, and located at Bath. In 1795, 
the population in the vicinity had increased so rapidly, that Mr. 
Williamson established a theatre at his new settlement. The 
succeeding year, the county was organized, and named alter 
Baron Steuben, the Prussian General. The same year a news- 
paper was established at Bath, and called the Bath Gazette. 
The population of the county at this time was about 800. The 
whole county, except the town of Reading, belonged to the Pul- 
teney estate. The emigrants were mostly from Pennsylvania, 
except in the town of Prattsburgh, which was settled by New 
Englanders. 

In the present town of Erwin, formerly stood the Painted 
Post, so famous in our early Indian annals, erected by an In- 
dian chief, (probably during the first French Avar,) to com- 
memorate his victory over the whites, and the number of scalps 
and prisoners, he had taken. 

Villages. Bath, the county seat, was laid out by Mr. Wil- 
liamson in 1792. It is on the north bank of the Conhocton, has 
regular and parallel streets and two public squares, and is re- 
garded as one of the most pleasant villages of western New 
York. Here is a flourishing female seminary. Population 1500. 
Corning, situated on the south side of the Chemung river in 
the town of Painted Post, is admirably located for trade, being 
at the junction of the Corning and Blossburg railroad, with the 
navigable feeder of the Chemung canal, and also on the pro- 
posed route of the New York and Erie railroad. Its coal trade 
is already very great, and its growth has been rapid. Popula- 
tion 1200. 

Hammondsport, situated at the southern termination of 
Crooked lake in the town of Urbana, is a thriving village. A 
steamboat plies between this place and Penn Yan. It has also 
a communication with New York, by means of the Crooked 
and Seneca lakes, Cayuga, Seneca, and Erie canals. Popu- 
lation 1000. 

Painted Post, in the town of Erwin, is a flourishing village 
at the junction of the Conhocton and Tioga rivers. It has a 
large amount of hydraulic power, which is in part applied to 
manufacturing purposes. The painted post above described, 
is in this village. Population 600. 

Hornellsville is a village of considerable importance, situated 
on the Canisteo in the town of the same name. 



XXIV. DELAWARE COUNTY. 



Square miles, 1362. 
Organized, 1797. 



Population, 36,990. 
Valuation, 1845, $3,478,012. 



n-*\ 




1. Harpers field, 1783. 

2. Middletown, 1789. 
3- Colchester, 1792. 

4. Stamford, 1792. 

5. Franklin, 1792. 

6. Walton, 1797. 

7. Delhi, 1798. 

8. Roxbury, 1799. 

9. Kortright, 1793. 



TOWNS. 

10. Meredith, 1800. 

11. Sidney, 1801. 

12. Tompkins, 1806. 

13. Hancock, 1806. 

14. Masonville, 1811, 

15. Davenport, 1817. 

16. Andes, 1819. 
11. Bovina, 1820. 
18. Hampden, 1825. 



Mountains, h. Blue. m. Kaatsberg. u. Pine. 

Rivers. G. Susquehanna. H. Delaware, a. Mohawks or West 

Branch Delaware, i. Little Delaware river, j. Papachton Branch. 

k. Big Beaver kill. q. Oleout creek, r. Charlotte river. 
Villages. Delhi. Franklin. Hobart. Deposit. Walton. 



DELAWARE COUNTY. 267 

Boundaries. North by Otsego and Schoharie; East by 
Schoharie and Greene ; South by Ulster and Sullivan, and the 
state of Pennsylvania; and West by Pennsylvania, Broome and 
Chenango counties. 

Surface. Delaware county has three distinct ranges of 
mountains passing through it from southwest to northeast, ren- 
dering its surface very rough and broken. The southeast ridge 
is a continuation of a range of the Kaatsbergs. The second 
ridge runs between the Papachton and the Mohawk branch of 
the Delaware river; winle the third, from twelve to eighteen 
miles in width, is bounded by the Charlotte river and the Sus- 
quehanna. The two latter are collectively known as the Blue 
mountains. A part of the eastern ridge has received the name 
of the Pine mountains. The surface of the summits and sides 
of the hills are extremely irregular, and broken by numerous 
streams. 

Rivers. The Mohawks, or main branch of the Delaware, has 
its source in Schoharie county, running thence in a southwest- 
erly direction nearly 70 miles, through the center of the coun- 
ty, to Port Deposit, where it takes a southeasterly course, and 
forms the boundary line between New York and Pennsylvania. 
Its principal tributaries are the Little Delaware and the Papach- 
ton branch; the latter is sixty-five miles long and receives the 
Big Beaver kill. The Charlotte and Susquehanna form portions 
of the northern boundary. 

Rrilroads. The New York and Erie railroad is in process 
of construction, through the southeast corner of the county. 

Climate. The climate of this county is subject to sudden 
and extreme changes of temperature, yet it is not unfriendly to 
health. The cold is severe in winter. 

Geology and Mineralogy. The surface rock of this county 
is the old red sandstone of the Catskill group underlaid by the 
shales and sandstone of the Portage and Chemung group. 

Its minerals are few. Bog iron ore has been discovered in considerable beds ; 
copper extensively diffused, but in small quantities. There are several mineral 
springs, and a brine spring near Delhi. 

Vegetable Productions. The soil is as varied as the sur- 
face, but generally of a good quality. On the hills it is a sandy 
loam, and in some places stoney. In the valleys is a rich deep 
mould, and of lasting fertility. It is better adapted to grass 
than the raising of grain. The county is densely timbered 
with beech, birch, maple, ash, elm, basswood, pine, wild 
cherry, butternut, hemlock, and small quantities of oak. 

Pursuits. Agriculture chiefly engages the attention of the 
people of this county; considerable quantities of grain are 
produced, and it is exceeded by few counties in the number of 
cattle reared. It is second only to Oneida in the manufacture 
of butter. 



268 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Manufactures. The water-power of this county is abun- 
dant, but little improved. Its principal manufactured articles 
are leather, flour, lumber, and failed cloths. The lumber is 
floated to market on the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers. 

The Commerce of the county is not large, its rivers being 
only navigable in the spring. 

Staple Productions. Butter and cheese, oats, potatoes, 
rye, wool, and lumber. Increased facilities for conveying them 
to market will be afforded by the railroad now constructing. 

Schools. In 1846, there were 2S8 public schools in session, 
on an average, seven months each, expending for tuition 
$14,013, and numbering 12,501 pupils. The district libraries 
contained 24,027 volumes. 

There are twenty-three unincorporated private schools, attended by 342 schol- 
ars, and two incorporated academies with 124 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Con- 
gregationalists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Dutch Reformed, and 
Unitarians. The whole number of churches, is fifty-eight, of 
clergymen seventy-seven. 

History. The county, west of the Mohawks branch, was ori- 
ginally held by several proprietors, but east of that river was 
comprised in the Hardenburgh patent. In 1768, William, John, 
Alexander, and Joseph Harper, with eighteen others, obtained 
a patent for 22,000 acres of land within its limits. The Har- 
pers soon after moved from Cherry Valley, and founded the set- 
tlement of Harpersfield. 

In the spring of 1780, a party of Indians and tories under the 
command of Brant, destroyed this settlement. Most of the in- 
habitants had previously fled, a few only remained to make su- 
gar. Several of these were killed, and nineteen made prison- 
ers and carried to Niagara. After the war the place was re- 
built, and Colonel John Harper, who had distinguished himself 
by his bravery and humanity during the war, spent the remain- 
der of his days there. 

Villages. Delhi village is the county seat, and contains, be- 
sides the county buildings, two churches, an academy, and a 
number of manufactories. Population 800. 

Franklin is the seat of the Delaware Institute, incorporated 
April 25, 1835. Population 700. 

Hobart, in the town of Stamford, is a village of some impor- 
tance. It has some manufactories. 

Deposit, in the town of Tompkins, is a great lumber mart. 
Much of the lumber which is floated down the Delaware dur- 
ing the spring freshets is deposited here. It is on the proposed 
route of the New York and Erie railroad. Population 600. 

Walton, in the town of the same name, is a small but thriv- 
ing village on the Delaware. 






XXV. CHENANGO COUNTY. 



Square miles, 804. 
Organized, 1798. 



Population, 39,900. 
Valuation, 1845, $4,133,256, 




1. Bainbridge, 1791, 

2. Norwich, 1793. 

3. Oxford, 1793. 



TOWNS. 

4. Greene, 1798. 

5. Columbus, 1805. 

6. Coventry, 1806. 



270 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

7. German, 1806. 14. Smyrna, 1S0S. 

8. Pharsalia, 1806. 15. Guilford, 1813. 

9. Plymouth, 1806. 16. McDonough, 1816. 

10. Preston, 1806. 17. Otselic, 1817. 

11. Sherburne, 1806. 18. Linklaem, 1823. 

12. Smithville, 1806. 19. Pitcher, 1827. 

13. New Berlin, 18J7. 

Rivers. II. Unadilla river. CC. Chenango. . G. Susquehanna. 

h. Otselic. a. Geneganslette creek, e. Canasawacta. 
Villages. Norwich. Oxford. Sherburne. 

Boundaries. North by Madison county ; East by Otsego and 
Delaware ; South by Broome ; and West by Broome and Cort- 
land counties. 

Surface. This county is comprised in the extensive table 
land, which occupies so large a portion of southern and western 
New T York. The force and velocity of its principal streams, 
however, have cut deep and broad channels through the rocks, 
and thus formed wide and beautiful alluvial valleys, giving the 
county an apparently diversified surface. The table land be- 
tween the Unadilla and Chenango rivers is 1630 feet above tide 
water. 

Rivers. The Chenango, a beautiful stream, and its tributa- 
ries, the principal of which are the Geneganslette and Canasa- 
wacta, drain the central portion of the county. The Unadilla 
washes its eastern border, while the Susquehanna crosses its 
southeastern, and the Otselic its northwestern corner. 

Canals. The Chenango Canal passes through the county 
in the broad valley of the Chenango river, furnishing a conven- 
ient outlet for its abundant produce. 

Climate. Mild, healthful, and pleasant. 

Geology and Minerals. The western part of this county 
belongs to the Chemung sandstone group ; the eastern part to 
the old red sandstone of the Catskill group, and a small tract at 
the north to the limestone of the Helderberg series. 

There are few minerals in the county, the geological formations not being 
favorable to their production. There are two or three sulphur springs which 
have some reputation in the treatment of cutaneous diseases. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil on the table 
lands is admirably adapted to grazing ; in the alluvial valleys it 
is a rich, gravelly loam, yielding abundant crops of grain. The 
principal forest trees are beech, maple, basswood, elm, butter- 
nut, black cherry, and in the south, hemlock and pine. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the leading pursuit. Great atten- 
tion is paid to the rearing of cattle, horses and sheep. Butter 



CHENANGO COUNTY. 271 

and cheese are largely produced, particularly in the southern 
towns. The county ranks among the first in the state in the 
production of butter, cheese, wool and flax. 

Manufactures are receiving increasing attention. At pres- 
ent, however, the most important are those of flour, lumber, 
leather, lulled cloths, and cotton and woollen goods. 

The commerce of the county, through the medium of the 
Chenango canal, and the Susquehanna river, is large and con- 
stantly increasing. 

Staple Productions. Butter, cheese, wool, flax and oats. 

Schools. In 1846, there were in the county 287 district 
school-houses, in which schools were maintained an average 
period of seven months, at an expense for tuition of $116,283 ; 
14,750 scholars attended these schools. The district libraries 
contained 26,598 volumes. 

There were also thirty-five select schools, attended by 658 pupils, and four 
incorporated academies, with 416 students. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Congre- 
gationalists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Universalists, and 
Friends. The entire number of churches, is eighty-three; of 
clergymen, ninety-four. 

History. Chenango was formed from the counties of Tioga 
and Herkimer, in 1798. The first settlement was made in Ox- 
ford, in 1790; another was made at Bainbridge, in 1791. The 
latter township was granted by the state of New York, to Ver- 
mont, as a compensation for losses of individuals who had suffer- 
ed on account of grants made by the state of Vermont, before 
the settlement of her difficulties with New York. Most of the 
early settlers of the county were from New England, and a 
majority of them from Connecticut. 

The first settlers in the village of Greene, were a party of 
French emigrants, some of whom were men of distinction in 
their own country. After some years, however, owing to pecu- 
niary difficulties, they became discouraged, and removed to 
Pennsylvania. An academy w T as established and incorporated 
at Oxford, in 1794. The town of Sherburne was settled by a 
party of twenty families, from Connecticut, w T ho organized 
themselves into a church before emigrating. They arrived at 
their location on Thursday, and by the succeeding Sabbath had 
erected a log meeting-house, in which they met for worship, 
and it is said that not a Sabbath has since passed without divine 
service. 

Antiquities. In the town of Greene is a remarkable mound, 
which, before it was disturbed by the plough or spade, was 
about seven feet high, and nearly forty feet in diameter. It 



272 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

contained human bones, flint arrow-heads, and utensils of the 
natives ; and was pi obably the place where the slain of some 
sanguinary battle had been entombed. In Oxford, are the re- 
mains of a fort, about three-fourths of an acre in extent. Trees 
of more than 200 years' growth were standing on this fort when 
it was first discovered. Its position was admirably calculated 
for defence. When or by whom it was erected is unknown. 
The Indian traditions on this subject are by no means definite. 

Villages. Norwich, in the town of the same name, is the 
seat of justice for the county. It is pleasantly situated on a 
neck of land formed by the Canasawacta creek and the river. 
It is surrounded by a rich agricultural district, whose produce 
finds here a ready market. The Chenango canal connects it 
with Utica and Binghamton. It has a considerable number of 
manufactories. Here is a flourishing academy, and a female 
seminary. Population, 1600. 

Oxford, in the town of the same name, is situated on both 
sides of the Chenango. It is in the midst of a fine agricultural 
country, and has considerable trade. The academy here is an 
old and flourishing one, founded in 1794. Population, 1300. 

Sherburne, in the town of the»same name, is a pleas: nt incor- 
porated village, on the line of the canal. It has a chartered 
academy, and considerable trade. Population, 700. 

Greene, in the town of the same name is a flourishing village, 
situated on the Chenango river and Canal. It has considerable 
manufactures. Population, 800. 

New Berlin and Bainbridge, in the towns of the same names, 
are thriving and important villages. 

Smithville and Smyrna, are also villages of some importance. 



XXVI. ROCKLAND COUNTY, 



Square miles, 172. 
Organized, 1798. 



Population, 13,741. 
Valuation, 1845, $2,424,553. 




TOWNS. 

1. Haverstraw, 1788. 3. Clarkstown, 1791. 

2. Orangetown, 178S. 4. Ramapo* 1791. 
Mountains. T. Matteavvan. d. Closter. e. Nyack Hills, f. Dun- 

derberg. 
Rivers. C. Hudson, c. Hackensack. a. Ramapo. Saddle. 
Forts. Stony Point. 
Villages. New City. Haverstraw, Piermont 



274 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Boundaries. North by Orange county; East by Hudson 
river ; South by New Jersey ; and West by New Jersey and 
Orange county. 

Surface. The surface of this county is very much broken, 
rising in the west and north-west into the Highlands, or Mat- 
teawan ridge. The Closter mountain, or Palisade range, enters 
from Bergen, New Jersey, and receding on the west, forms the 
Nyack Hills. The summits of some of these rise to the height 
of 1000 feet. Between these hills and the Highlands, is a valley 
formed by the Saddle river. Dunderberg and Caldwell moun- 
tains, are in the north part, opposite Peekskill. 

Rivers. Rockland county sends forth the Hackensack river 
and its branches, draining the Nyack valley, and Saddle river, 
a tributary of the Passaic. The Ramapo, also a tributary of 
the Passaic, crosses the county in the town of Ramapo. 

Climate. The climate of this county is healthy ; agreeable 
in summer, but cold in winter. 

Minerals and Geologv. The Nyack Hills belong to the 
Catskill group, being based on red sandstone and capped 
with greenstone. The Palisades are composed entirely of trap 
rock. The Matteawan range is primitive ; granite, gneiss, mica, 
feldspar, hornblende, &c. are its principal constituents. South 
of the Highlands, the whole country is underlaid with red sand- 
stone, supposed by some of the Geologists to be the new red 
sandstone. 

Limestone is abundant in the valleys, and magnetic iron ore in the hills. The 
other principal minerals are calcareous spar, serpentine, actinolite, zinc ore, 
green and red copper ores, datholite, stilbite, asbestus, Prehnite, Thompsonite, &c. 

Vegetable Productions. Notwithstanding the roughness 
of the surface, the soil is rich and highly cultivated, amply re- 
warding the labor of the husbandman. This county is well 
adapted to the culture of both grass and grains. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the leading pursuit, particularly in 
the more fertile valleys. 

Manufactures are also carried on to some extent. Iron wire, 
nails, sheet iron, and lead, cotton and woollen fabrics are the 
principal articles. 

Commerce. Some shipping is owned on the Hudson, by the 
inhabitants of the county, of whom a considerable number are 
engaged in commercial pursuits. Ice is extensively exported 
to New York from this county. 

Staple Productions. These are corn, potatoes, oats, buck- 
wheat, rye, and ice. 

Schools. In this county, there were in 1846, thirty-nine com- 
mon schools, averaging nine months' instruction each, at an ex- 



ROCKLAND COUNTY. 275 

pense of about §7271, and having 2501 pupils. The district 
libraries numbered 6418 volumes. 

There are eight private schools, numbering 149 scholars. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Dutch Reformed, 
Presbyterians, Baptists and Friends. The number of churches, 
of all denominations, is thirty-two ; of ministers, twenty. 

History. This county originally belonged to Orange, and 
many of the early settlements were made within its limits, 
Orangetown was originally the county seat, before its division, 
and remained so till 1737, when Goshen, now in Orange county, 
was made a half shire town. In 1774, the court-house and jail 
in Orangetown being burned, the county seat was removed to 
New City. During the revolution, this little county was the 
scene of many thrilling events. 

On the 27th of September, 1778, Colonel Baylor, the com- 
mander of a troop of cavalry, had crossed the Hackensack with 
his regiment, and taken post at Tappan; on the night of the 
28th, they were surprised by a British force, under General 
Gray, who attacked them in a barn, where they had their quar- 
ters, and sixty-seven out of one hundred and four privates were 
butchered. The orders of the British guard were to give no 
quarter ; about forty were made prisoners through the human- 
ity of one of the British captains. After the capture of Forts 
Montgomery and Clinton, (the latter of which was in the limits 
of this county,) by Sir Henry Clinton, in 1777, General Wash- 
ington directed a fortification to be built at Stoney Point, a com- 
manding promontory on the Hudson, and another at Verplank's 
Point, opposite the former, on the east bank of the Hudson ; — 
the latter was first completed, and both were garrisoned by the 
Americans. 

In May, 1779, Sir Henry Clinton ascended the river ; the for- 
tress at Stoney Point being unfinished, the garrison abandoned 
it at his approach, and the garrison at Verplank's Point, or Fort 
Fayette, as it was called, being surrounded by a superior force, 
were compelled to surrender. Sir Henry immediately caused 
both forts to be strongly fortified, and manned them with efficient 
garrisons. General Washington determined to recover them, 
and accordingly despatched General Wayne, with a sufficient 
corps of light infantry, on the fifteenth of July, to storm the fortress 
at Stoney Point. The hill on which the fortress was erected, 
extends into the Hudson, and is surrounded by it on three sides. 
The other side was a deep morass, passable only at one point, 
and this enfiladed by the batteries of the fort. A passage to the 
fortress was also practicable at low water, along the beach, but 
this too was commanded by the guns of the fort, 



276 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Notwithstanding these obstacles, Wayne and his brave asso- 
ciates commenced the attack a little after nightfall of the six- 
teenth of July, with unloade 1 muskets and fixed bayonets, and 
notwithstanding the terrible fire of the enemy, the two columns 
which had taken the two routes above described, met in the 
centre of the fort. The British garrison was captured with a 
loss to the Americans of fifteen killed and eighty-three wound- 
ed, and to the British of sixty-three killed, and 543 taken pris- 
oners, beside military stores to the value of nearly $160,000. 

The subsequent attack upon Fort Fayette on Verplank's Point, 
was unsuccessful, and on this account a larger force than could 
be spared from the American army, being required to defend 
Stoney Point, it was abandoned, and soon after occupied by 
Sir Henry Clinton, who retained it during a considerable period. 

In 1780, the trial and imprisonment of Andre tookplacein the 
village ofNyack, in this county. He was tried, in the old Dutch 
church, since torn down, and confined in the ancient stone man- 
sion adjacent. His execut took place at a distance of about a 
quarter of a mile from the village, not far from the New Jersey 
line. He was buried near the place of his execution. In 1831, 
his remains were disinterred, by order of the Duke of York, un- 
der the superintendence of Mr. Buchanan, the English consul 
at New York, and transmitted to England. 

Dobbs' Ferry, in this county, was also a place of considerable 
importance during the revolution. Washington's head quarters 
were for a time near this hamlet. 

New City, in the town of Clarkstown, contains the court- 
house, jail, and county offices. It is a mere hamlet. 

Piermont, on the Hudson, in the town of Orangetown, is a 
village of recent growth, and is principally distinguished if the 
eastern terminus of the New York and Erie railroad. This route 
of travel is connected with the city of New York by a regular 
line of steamboats. A larger amount of milk is probably sent 
to New York from this port than from any other on the river. 
The steamboat pier is about one mile in length. The Palisades 
terminate here in a steep and precipitous bluff. Population, 
1400. 

Haverstraw, in the town of the same name, is a thriving vil- 
lage on the river, engaged in the coasting trade with New York. 
The fortress of Stoney Point was in the limits of this town. 

Nyack, a village in Orangetown, is handsomely situated on 
Tappan bay, skirted by the Nyack hills on the west. Its celeb- 
rity as the place where Major Andre was executed, has been 
before noticed. Population, about 1000. 



XXVII. ONEIDA COUNTY. 

Square miles, 1101. Population. 84,776. 

Organized, 1798. Valuation, $11,807,289. 




1. Whitestown, 178S. 

2. Steuben, 1789. 

3. Paris, 1792. 

4. Westmoreland, 1792. 

5. Sanger field, 1795. 

13 



TOWNS. 

6. Floyd, 1796. 

7. Rome, 1796. 

8. Bridge water, 1797. 

9. Western, 1797. 
10. Trenton, 1797. 



280 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Manufactures are also a prominent pursuit, being prosecuted 
to a greater extent than in any other county in the state, except 
Kings and New York. Cotton and woollen goods are largely 
manufactured. Flour, lumber, distilled liquors, leather and iron 
ware, are also produced in very considerable quantities. In 
1845, the manufactures of the county amounted to nearly 
$4,000,000. 

Commerce. The commercial relations of Oneida county are 
quite extensive. The Erie canal affords the meajis of trans- 
portation for its abundant produce ; the Oneida lake canal opens 
a route to Lake Ontario ; the Chenango canal brings the agri- 
cultural productions of the southern counties hither, on their 
way to tide water ; and the completion of the Black river canal 
will also add largely to the commerce of the county. 

Staple Productions. Butter, cheese, oats, barley, corn, 
hops, potatoes, wool and sugar. 

Schools. There were in the county in 1846, 399 district 
school-houses, in which schools were taught an average period 
of eight months each. 23,735 children received instruction, at 
an expense for tuition of $29,063. The district libraries con- 
tained 23,983 volumes. There were also eighty-seven unin- 
corporated select schools, with 912 scholars, ten academies and 
four female seminaries, with 624 pupils, and one college with 
nine professors and 126 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Congre- 
gationalists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, 
Friends, Universalists, Dutch Reformed and Unitarians. The 
total number of churches in 1845, was 160; of clergymen, 202. 

History. This county was the home of the Oneida Indians, 
one of the bravest tribes of the Iroquois, and the only one which, 
during the revolution, maintained friendly relations with the 
United States. 

During the French war (in 1758) forts were erected at Rome 
and at Utica ; the former was called Fort Stanwix, the latter 
Fort Schuyler. Fort Stanwix, on the present site of Rome, 
was, from its situation at the portage between Wood creek and 
the Mohawk river, a post of considerable importance, and was 
fortified at an expense of more than $250,000. At the com- 
mencement of the revolution, however, it was very much dilap- 
idated. 

In 1766, Rev. Samuel Kirkland, a native of Connecticut, and 
a graduate of Princeton college, New Jersey, settled among the 
Oneidas, as a missionary. Through his influence they were 
restrained from engaging on the side of the British during the 
war of the revolution* 



ONEIDA COUNTY. 281 

Mr. Kirkland remained among the Indians during the war, 
was interpreter to the American officers who visited them, and 
officiated as chaplain to the army during Sullivan's campaign. 
After the revolution he settled again in Oneida county, and the 
legislature of the state granted him the township of Kirkland, 
as an acknowledgement of his valuable services to the state of 
his adoption. 

Judge Dean, the efficient Indian agent during the revolution, 
was also an early settler. He was a native of New England, 
but spent several years of his boyhood among the Oneida In- 
dians, by whom he was adopted. He subsequently graduated 
at Dartmouth college, intending to become a missionary to that 
tribe. 

The demand for his services during the revolution prevented 
his fulfilling that intention, and he accepted the office of Indian 
agent and interpreter, and in that capacity rendered efficient 
aid to the American cause. The Oneidas granted him, at the 
close of the war, a tract of land on Wood creek about two miles 
square, which he subsequently exchanged for a similar tract in 
Westmoreland. On the extinction of the Indian title, in 1788, 
the latter was confirmed to him by the state, and he resided 
upon it during the re mainder of his life.* 

" Two or three years after Judge Dean's removal to Westmoreland, an incident 
occurred which furnishes a parallel to the often related rescue of Captain John 
Smith, by Pocahontas. 

It was a custom among the Indians, that when one of their number had been 
murdered by a member of another tribe, the blood of some one of the offending 
tribe must be shed, as an atonement for the offence. The same custom extended 
to their intercourse with the whites. 

At this period, an Oneida Indian had been killed by some unknown white man, 
who had escaped. The chiefs assembled to determine what was to be done. 
After several days consultation, they decided that the life of Mr. Dean must be 
forfeited, as an atonement for the murder. 

Accordingly, the chiefs, eighteen in number, came to his dwelling at midnight, 
and informed him that they had decided to sacrifice him for the murder of their 
brother, and that he must now prepare to die. In vain he remonstrated, pleading 
his past services to their tribe, and urging that he was an adopted son of the 
Oneidas, and therefore not liable to such a doom. In vain did he represent the 
hapless condition of his wife and helpless babes. 

The old chiefs heard him patiently, but their decision was unalterable. He 
had nearly abandoned all hope of escape, when his attention was arrested by the 
pattering of a footstep without the door. Soon the latch was raised and a squaw 
entered ; she was the wife of the senior chief, and in Mr. Dean's boyhood, had 
adopted him as her son. 

The entrance of a woman into a solemn council was, according to Indian eti- 
quette, at war with all propriety. The chiefs however remained silent. Soon 
another came, a sister of the first, and the wife of another chief; and presently a 
third, also the wife of a chief. Each stood near the door in silence, closely wrap- 
ped in her blanket. ' * - 

At length the presiding chief bid them " begone." The squaw who first entered, 
replied, that they must first change their determination, and not kill the good white 
man, ner adopted son. The command to go was repeated, when each of the 
squaws threw off their blankets, and brandishing a knife in their extended hands, 
declared that they would destroy themselves, if one hair of the white man's head 
was touched lhe chiefs were astonished at the whole proceeding, and regarding 
it as an evident interposition of the Great Spirit in his behalf, reversed their 
decree, and Mr. Dean's life was spared. 



282 



STATE OF NEW YORK, 



Some years previous to the revolution two men named Roof 
and Brodock established themselves in the vicinity of Rome, and 
were engaged in the carrying trade. They were compelled to 
leave during the revolution, but afterward returned and re- 
sumed their farms. 

Early in the summer of 1777, news hvaing reached the county 
that an expedition was intended against the settlements in the 
Mohawk valley, under the command of General St. Leger, 
Fort Stanwix at Rome, was repaired, garrisoned, supplied with 
provisions, and its name changed to Fort Schuyler. 

On the 2d of August, 1777, the garrison consisted of 750 men, 
under the command of Colonel Gansevoort, and they had suffi- 
cient ammunition and provisions for a six weeks' siege. At that 
time the fort was invested by General St. Leger, who demanded 
its surrender. The demand was indignantly spurned by the 
garrison. Hearing of the investment of the fort, General Her- 
kimer assembled about 800 militia, and hastened to relieve the 
beseiged garrison. On the evening of the 5th of August, he 
arrived at Oriskany creek, and despatched two expresses to 
Col. Gansevoort, notifying him of his approach, and requesting 
him to make a sally from the fort at the time of his intended 
attack. 

These expresses arrived safely on the forenoon of the 6th, 
and a signal cannon having been fired, Colonel Marinus 
Willet, the second in command, sallied from the fort with 
250 men, and succeeded in carrying the camps of Sir John John- 
son and the Indians, capturing their stores, baggage, ammuni- 
tion, &c, without the loss of a single man. 

The attack of General Herkimer was less fortunate. St. 
Leger having heard of his approach, stationed a force in ambus- 
cade on his route. The militia, heedless and self confident, 
rushed on till their vanguard were surrounded by the enemy. 
Those in the rear then fled, but the remainder fought with the 
utmost desperation. Their assailants were mostly Indians and 
loyalists, and in many cases the two parties were personally 
known to each other, and private hate was added to national 
hostility. Rage supplied the place of arms ; no quarter was 
asked or given on either side. Early in the battle General 
Herkimer was wounded; but seating himself on his saddle, and 
leaning against the trunk of a tree, he continued to order the 
battle with the utmost composure. The conflict continued for 
six hours ; at the end of that time the tories and Indians retreat- 
ed, leaving the militia masters of the field. The loss in killed 
and wounded on both sides was very great. That of the 
Americans was nearly 200 killed, and about the same number 
wounded. 

After this battle, St. Leger again summoned the fort, but was 



ONEIDA COUNTY. 283 

again defied. Finding, however, that they must be reinforced 
or eventually surrender, Col. WillCt and Lieut. Stockwell, of 
the garrison, volunteered to go to the head quarters of General 
Schuyler, at Stillwater, and obtain aid. 

They left the garrison on the night of the 10th of August, 
creeping on their hands and knees through the enemy's camp, 
and after numerous hair breadth escapes, succeeded in reaching 
Gen. Schuyler's camp and procuring the necessary assistance. 

General Learned and General Arnold were despatched on 
this service. The latter, hastening on in advance with 900 
troops, captured a tory refugee named Han Yost Schuyler, 
whom by promises and threats he induced to go to the camp of 
St. Leger, and alarm the Indians by exaggerating the number 
of his troops. A friendly Oneida Indian was also sent on the 
same errand. The stratagem was successful. The Indians, 
already dissatisfied, abandoned St. Leger at once, on receiving 
the intelligence of Arnold's approach, and thus deserted, he 
raised the siege and retreated with the utmost haste, the Indians 
plundering his troops whenever they found opportunity. 

One of the most prominent of the early settlers of this county 
was Judge White, the founder of Whitestown. He was a na- 
tive of Middletown, Connecticut, and one of the proprietors of 
the Saghdaquida patent. He removed here in 1784, with his 
family. 

In 1788 the town of Whitestown was laid out, and comprised 
all that part of the state lying west of a line drawn north and 
south through the city of Utica, a tract of country now contain- 
ing more than 1,100,000 inhabitants. The same year a treaty 
was made with the Oneidas, by which they ceded to the state 
the whole of their lands, except a few trifling reservations. 

Judge White lived to see the wilderness where he had first 
located himself, densely populated, and the privations of the 
settlers exchanged for plenty.* Judge Sanger was another of 
the early settlers who located in New Hartford. 

The town of Steuben was granted by the state to Baron Steu- 
ben, for his services during the revolution. He resided here 
during the latter part of his life, and was buried here. 

* A little incident which occurred soon after the war, illustrates the Indian 
character very forcibly. An old Oneida chief named Han Yerry, who, during the 
revolution, had acted with the British, but who was quite friendly to Judge White, 
came one day with his wife and a mulatto woman to his house, and asked permis- 
sion to take the little grand-daughter of the judge home to his cabin for the night, 
making it a test of the strength of his friendship. Judge White consented, con- 
sidering it best to manifest confidence in the Indian, although he felt many mis- 
givings, and the mother of the child could hardly be prevailed on to part with it. 
The succeeding day was one of deep anxiety to the family of the judge— but just 
at sunset the Indian and his squaw reappeared with the child, clad in a complete 
Indian dress. 

The confidence which the judge manifested in them, secured their warm and 
permanent friendship. 



284 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Cities and Villages. Utica, situated on the south side of 
the Mohawk, on the site of old Fort Schuyler, is a thriving and 
business city, in the midst of one of the most fertile and wealthy 
sections of the state, having 1 a central location. Its locality being" 
on a gentle declivity to the north, commands a beautiful pros- 
pect of the Mohawk valley. The streets are spacious, and the 
buildings neat and commodious. Being connected with Albany 
and Troy, and with Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo by rail- 
road and canal ; with Binghamton by the Chenango canal, and 
by stages, with the northern and southern counties of the state, 
it is the centre of an extensive business. It is also engaged in 
manufactures. Several large steam mills have recently been 
erected for the manufacture of cotton and woollen goods. 

The New York State Lunatic Asylum, located here, is a noble 
institution, and when completed will surpass in extent and conve- 
nience any other in the United States. A farm of 160 acres is 
attached to it. The Utica Academy, and the Utiea Female Sem- 
inary, are both excellent institutions, and have a high reputa- 
tion. The Young Men's Association possess a good library 
and have maintained a course of lectures for some years. The 
museum contains a fine collection of curiosities and antiquities. 

The early growth of Utica was slow; in 1794 it contained but 
three or four houses. It was incorporated as a village in 1798, 
and received its present name. It was chartered as a city in 
1832. Population 12,190. 

Rome, on the site of Fort Stanwix (the new Fort Schuyler) 
is situated at the junction of the Black river and Erie canals. 
The Utica and Syracuse railroad also passes through it. The 
village has some manufactories, and is largely engaged in the 
forwarding trade. The United States government have an ar- 
senal, magazine, and a number of workshops here. The Rome 
Female Seminary is well sustained. Population 2800. 

Whitesboro 5 , in the town of Whitestown, also a county seat, 
was incorporated in 1813. It is a pleasant village, finely deco- 
rated with shade trees, and is engaged in the manufacture of 
cotton goods. It has also a very large flouring mill and an ex- 
tensive pail and tub manufactory. 

The Whitesboro' Academy is a large and flourishing institu- 
tion. The Oneida Institute, a manual labor school of a high 
order, intended for a boarding school, is also located here ; con- 
nected with it is a farm of 114 acres. The students are re- 
quired to labor three hours per day. Population 2000. 

Oriskany is a large manufacturing village in the same town. 
Broadcloths and cassimeres are the principal articles of manu- 
facture. Population 1200. 

New York Mills, in the same town is an important village 



ONEIDA COUNTY. 285 

largely engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods. Popula- 
tion 1000. 

WatervilU, in the town of Sangerfield, is a thriving village, 
engaged in the manufacture of woollen goods, carriage springs, 
starch, and musical instruments. Population 1000. 

Trenton Falls is a small village, worthy of notice for the 
picturesque and beautiful falls on the West Canada creek, from 
which it derives its name. Trenton, in the town of the same 
name, is a somewhat larger village, incorporated in 1819. 

Clinton, in the town of Kirkland, is pleasantly situated on the 
Oriskany creek, nine miles from Utica. The literary institu- 
tions of this village and its vicinity, have given it a wide celeb- 
rity. Hamilton College, situated a mile west of the village, 
was founded by the exertions of the venerable Kirkland, and is 
now in a prosperous condition. It has four fine stone edifices, 

The Clinton Liberal Institute is a chartered institution. The 
edifice is of stone, ninety-six by fifty-two feet, and four stories 
high above the basement, for the male department, and a smaller 
building for the female department. It is conducted by six 
teachers. There is a farm attached to this institution, for the 
benefit of such students as may desire to defray the expense of 
their education by manual labor. 

The Clinton Grammar school, and the Clinton Domestic 
seminary, a female institution of some note, are also located 
here. In the vicinity are several manufactories. Population 
800. 

New Hartford, in the town of the same name, and Oriskany 
Falls, in the town of Augusta, are flourishing manufacturing 
villages. 

Vernon, in the town of Vernon, Sauquoit, in the town of Pa- 
ris, and Hampton, in the town of Westmoreland, are thriving 
villages. 

Oneida Castleton, a post village in the town of Vernon, oc- 
cupies the place where the councils of the Six Nations were 
formerly held, — the large white walnut trees under which they 
assembled are still standing in full vigor, and often, by the au- 
tumnal blasts, sing the requiem of that almost annihilated race 
of the aborigines. 

13* 



284 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Cities and Villages. Utica, situated on the south side of 
the Mohawk, on the site <af old Fort Schuyler, is a thriving and 
business city, in the midst of one of the most fertile and wealthy 
sections of the state, having a central location. Its locality being 
on a gentle declivity to the north, commands a beautiful pros- 
pect of the Mohawk valley. The streets are spacious, and the 
buildings neat and commodious. Being connected with Albany 
and Troy, and with Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo by rail- 
road and canal ; with Bingham ton by the Chenango canal, and 
by stages, with the northern and southern counties of the state, 
it is the centre of an extensive business. It is also engaged in 
manufactures. Several large steam mills have recently been 
erected for the manufacture of cotton and woollen goods. 

The New York State Lunatic Asylum, located here, is a noble 
institution, and when completed will surpass in extent and conve- 
nience any other in the United States. A farm of 160 acres is 
attached to it. The Utica Academy, and the Utica Female Sem- 
inary, are both excellent institutions, and have a high reputa- 
tion. The Young Men's Association possess a good library 
and have maintained a course of lectures for some years. The 
museum contains a fine collection of curiosities and antiquities. 

The early growth of Utica was slow; in 1794 it contained but 
three or four houses. It was incorporated as a village in 1798, 
and received its present name. It was chartered as a city in 
1832. Population 12,190. 

Rome, on the site of Fort Stanwix (the new Fort Schuyler) 
is situated at the junction of the Black river and Erie canals. 
The Utica and Syracuse railroad also passes through it. The 
village has some manufactories, and is largely engaged in the 
forwarding trade. The United States government have an ar- 
senal, magazine, and a number of workshops here. The Rome 
Female Seminary is well sustained. Population 2800. 

Whitesboro'', in the town of Whitestown, also a county seat, 
was incorporated in 1813. It is a pleasant village, finely deco- 
rated with shade trees, and is engaged in the manufacture of 
cotton goods. It has also a very large flouring mill and an ex- 
tensive pail and tub manufactory. 

The Whitesboro' Academy is a large and flourishing institu- 
tion. The Oneida Institute, a manual labor school of a high 
order, intended for a boarding school, is also located here ; con- 
nected with it is a farm of 114 acres. The students are re- 
quired to labor three hours per day. Population 2000. 

Oriskany is a large manufacturing village in the same town. 
Broadcloths and cassimeres are the principal articles of manu- 
facture. Population 1200. 

New York Mills, in the same town is an important village 



ONEIDA COUNTY. 285 

largely engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods. Popula- 
tion 1000, 

Watervill^, in the town of Sangerfield, is a thriving village, 
engaged in the manufacture of woollen goods, carriage springs, 
starch, and musical instruments. Population 1000. 

Trenton Falls is a small village, worthy of notice for the 
picturesque and beautiful falls on the West Canada creek, from 
which it derives its name. Trenton, in the town of the same 
name, is a somewhat larger village, incorporated in 1819. 

Clinton, in the town of Kirkland, is pleasantly situated on the 
Oriskany creek, nine miles from Utica. The literary institu- 
tions of this village and its vicinity, have given it a wide celeb- 
rity. Hamilton College, situated a mile west of the village, 
was founded by the exertions of the venerable Kirkland, and is 
now in a prosperous condition. It has four fine stone edifices, 

The Clinton Liberal Institute is a chartered institution. The 
edifice is of stone, ninety-six by fifty-two feet, and four stories 
high above the basement, for the male department, and a smaller 
building for the female department. It is conducted by six 
teachers. There is a farm attached to this institution, for the 
benefit of such students as may desire to defray the expense of 
their education by manual labor. 

The Clinton Grammar school, and the Clinton Domestic 
seminary, a female institution of some note, are also located 
here. In the vicinity are several manufactories. Population 
800. 

New Hartford, in the town of the same name, and Oriska?iy 
Falls, in the town cf Augusta, are flourishing manufacturing 
villages. 

Vernon, in the town of Vernon, Sauquoit, in the town of Pa- 
ris, and Hampton, in the town of Westmoreland, are thriving 
villages. 

Oneida Castleton, a post village in the town of Vernon, oc- 
cupies the place where the councils of the Six Nations were 
formerly held, — the large white walnut trees under which they 
assembled are still standing in full vigor, and often, by the au- 
tumnal blasts, sing the requiem of that almost annihilated race 
of the aborigines. 

13* 



XXVIIL CAYUGA COUNTY. 

Square Miles, 648. Population, 49,663. 

Organized, 17£ 



Valuation, 1845, $9,760,050. 




CAYUGA COUNTY. 287 

TOWNS 

1. Aurelius, 1739. 12. Conquest, 1821. 

2. Geneva, 1789. 13. Summer Hill, 1821. 

3. Scipio, 1789. 14. Victory, 1821. 

4. Sempronius, 17S9. 15. Ira, 1821. 

5. Brutus. 1802. 16. Auburn, 1823. 

6. Cato, 1802. 17. Fleming, 1823. 

7. Locke, 1802. 18. Springport, 1823. 

8. Owasco, 1802. 19. Venice, 1823. 

9. Sennet, 1807. 20. Ledyard, 1823. 

10. Mentz, 1808. 21. Moravia, 1833. 

11. Stirling, 1812. 22. Niles, 1833. 

Rivers, a. Owasco Outlet, b. Salmon Creek, c. Owasco Inlet, e. 

Little Sodus Creek, k. Seneca. 
Lakes, fyc. J. Lake Ontario. DD. Cayuga, d. Owasca. f. Skene- 

ateles. g. Duck. i. Cross. 1. Little Sodus Bay. 
Villages. Auburn. Aurora. Cayuga. Montezuma. Moravia. 

Boundaries. North by Lake Ontario ; East by Oswego, On- 
ondaga and Cortland counties ; South by Tompkins county ; 
West by Cayuga lake, and Seneca and Wayne counties. 

Surface. The southern section of the county has an irregular 
surface, rising into ridges on the shores of Cayuga and Owasco 
lakes. Poplar ridge, the watershed of the county, is between 
these two lakes, and has an elevation of 600 feet. The north- 
ern part is comparatively level, yet has a rolling appearance, in 
consequence of numerous gravelly hills, which seem like mounds 
formed by art. 

Rivers. The principal streams are the Seneca river, Salmon 
and Little Sodus creeks. The Seneca has a very sluggish 
course through a marshy country. 

Lakes. Cayuga lake on the western border, Skeneateles on 
the eastern, and Owasco in the centre, are the largest lakes. 
Besides these it has Cross, Duck and Otter lakes, and Lock 
pond. 
Bays. Little Sodus bay is an inlet of Lake Ontario. 
Canals. The Erie canal crosses the county a few miles dis- 
tant from the Seneca river, and parallel with it. 

Railroads. The great line of Railroad between Albany and 
Buffalo also passes through this county. 

Climate. Mild and temperate, much moderated by the nu- 
merous bodies of water around and within it. It is regarded 
as salubrious. 

Geology and Mineralogy. This county embraces quite a 
variety of formations. On the borders of Lake Ontario is found 
the Medina sandstone; immediately south of J this the Clinton, 



288 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Niagara and Onondaga limestone groups ; next the Helderberg 
series, and in the extreme southern part of the county, the Lud- 
lowville slaty rocks. 

Gypsum, water limestone, sulphate of Barytes, Epsom salts, fluor spar, sulphate 
of iron, and pure sulphur are the principal minerals. 

Petroleum or mineral oil is found on Cayuga lake. Valuable brine springs 
occur in Montgomery. Here are also sulphur springs, and a chalybeate spring has 
been discovered in the town of Sennet. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil of this county, 
in consequence of its peculiar geological structure, is rich, and 
its lands are among the most fertile and highly cultivated in 
the state. Wheat yields the most abundant crops ; and fruits 
thrive in great perfection. The timber consists of oak, beech, 
butternut, elm, poplar, basswood, pine and hemlock. 

Pursuits. The attention of the inhabitants is chiefly turned 
to agriculture. Large quantities of the various kinds of grain 
and wool are annually produced, and considerable numbers of 
cattle reared. 

Manufactures. The principal articles of manufacture are 
flour, woollen and cotton goods, leather and lumber. Salt is 
manufactured in considerable quantities. 

Commerce. It has a considerable amount of commerce — be- 
ing connected by the Cayuga lake with the southern counties — 
by the Erie canal and Auburn and Syracuse railroad with the 
Hudson and Lake Erie, and by the Cayuga and Seneca canal 
with the Seneca lake, and the country bordering on it. 

The Staples of the county are wheat and other grains, pota- 
toes, butter and wool. 

Schools. The common schools, in 1846, numbered 256. 
They were taught an average period of eight months, attended 
by 16,781 scholars, at an expense for tuition of nearly ^21,312. 
The number of volumes in the school libraries was 29,718. 

The number of private schools was thirty-five, having in attendance 658 pu- 
pils. It has also four academies and one female seminary, with 388 scholars, and 
one theological seminary with seventy-one students. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Presbyterians, Meth- 
odists, Friends, Universalists.. Congregationalists, Episcopali- 
ans, Dutch Reformed, Unitarians, and Roman Catholics. 
There are in all seventy-seven churches and eighty clergymen. 

History. The first settlements in this county were made in 
Aurelius, Genoa and Scipio, about the time the Indian title was 
extinguished, in 1789. The first settlement at Auburn was 
made in 1793, by Col. John L. Hardenburg, from whom it was 
named Hardenburg's corners. It received its present name in 
1805. 

In Moravia, settlements were commenced in 1794. At that 



CAYUGA COUNTY. 289 

time there were still some Indians residing on the flats. The 
county has had a rapid and prosperous growth, and in its zeal 
for public improvements ranks among the first counties in the 
state. 

Villages. Aubcrn, the shire town of the county, and one of 
the most flourishing villages in the state, is situated on the out- 
let of Owasco lake. Though irregularly laid out, its streets are 
spacious, and many of its buildings elegant. Besides the county 
buildings, it contains seven churches, a male and a female sem- 
inary, and the Auburn Theological seminary, under the control 
of the Presbyterians, which has four professors, seventy-one 
students, and a library of 5000 volumes. 

The Auburn State Prison, located here, is a massive granite 
building, erected at an expense of over half a million of dol- 
lars. The main building has a front of 276 feet, and is three 
stories high besides the basement. The two wings, one on 
either end, are each 242 feet long, and forty-five wide. The 
whole is enclosed by a solid stone wall, from sixteen to forty feet 
high, and three feet thick. The number of prisoners is about 
700, who labor in work shops during the day, and are confined 
in separate cells at night. Population 6171. 

Moraciaisa. thriving incorporated village, in the town of the 
same name. The Moravian Institute is a chartered institution 
of some note. Population 600. 

Aurora, in the town of Ledyard, lies upon the Cayuga lake, 
and is hardly surpassed in the beauty of its location, by any vil- 
lage in western New York. The Cayuga academy is a 
flourishing institution. Steamboats stop here several times a 
day on their route between Ithaca and Cayuga bridge. Popu- 
lation 500. 

Cayuga is a pleasant village on the eastern bank of the Cayuga 
lake. A daily line of steamboats plies between this place and 
Ithaca, connecting the Ithaca and Owego and the Auburn and 
Rochester railroads. A toll bridge, and a railroad bridge, each 
of them upwards of a mile in length, here cross the Cayuga lake. 

Montezuma. A number of saline springs are here found, 
from which salt of the best and purest quality has been manu- 
factured ever since the earliest settlement of the country. The 
Montezuma marshes commence about a mile west of the village, 
and are known as the Paradise of musquitoes. Population 700. 

tVeedsport is a thriving village on the canal in the town of 
Benton. It has a large amount of business. Population 800. 

Port Byron, in the town of Mentz, is a large village, on the 
Erie canal. It has one of the largest flouring establistments in 
the state, beside several other manufactories. Population 1000. 



XXIX. ESSEX COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 1162. 
Organized, 1799. 



Population, 25,102. 
Valuation, 1845, $1,483,136. 




1. Crown Point, 178S. 

2. Willsborough, 1788. 

3. Jay, 1790. 

4. Elizabethtown, 1798. 

5. Chesterfield, 1802. 

6. Schroon, 1804. 

7. Ticonderoga, 1804. 

8. Minerva, 1804. 



9. Essex, 1805. 

10. Lewis, 1805. 

11. Moriah, 1803. 

12. Keene, 1808. 

13. Westport, 1815. 

14. Wilmington, 1821, 

15. Newcomb, 1828. 
IG. St. Armand, 1844. 



ESSEX COUNTY. 291 

Mountains. EE. Kayaderosseras. GG. Chateaugay. HH. Clinton. 
JJ. Au Sable. 

Peaks, g. White Face. k. Mount McMartin. m. Mount Mcln- 
tyre. n. Mount Marcy. o. Mount Defiance, (in Ticonderoga). 

Rivers. C. Hudson, a. Bouquet, c. Boreas, d. Indian, e. Adiron- 
dack, f. Schroon. i. Au Sable, j. Saranac. q. West Branch. 

Lakes. W. Champlain. 1. Schroon. r. Paradox, s. Pharaoh, t. 
Crane Pond. u. Harries Lake. v. Rich. w. Delia, h. Teralt. 
y. Sanford. z. Placid, a. Auger Pond. & Warm. £. Rattlesnake. 
d^Black. e. Long. 

Forts. Ticonderoga. Crown Point. 

Villages. Elizabethtown. Westport. Keeseville. Ticonde- 
roga. Essex. ■ 

Boundaries. North by Franklin and Clinton counties ; East 
by Lake Champlain ; South by Warren county ; and West by 
Hamilton and Franklin counties. 

Surface. The surface of this county is mountainous. Three 
distinct ranges cross it, and a fourth touches its western bound- 
ary. The Kayaderosseras range, beginning at Crown Point, 
passes over the southeastern towns. The Clinton range .ex- 
tends through the central portion, the Au Sable passes through 
the northwest section, and the Chateaugay forms a portion of 
the northwestern boundary. 

In the towns of Keene, Newcomb, and Moriah, a group ol 
lofty peaks, known as the Adirondack group, extends from the 
Au Sable to the Clinton range. Mounts Marcy, Mclntire, Mc- 
Martin, Dial mountain and White face, are the principal of 
these peaks. Mount Marcy is 5467 feet, or more than a mile, 
above tide water, Mount Mclntire 5183, White face 4855, and 
Dial mountain 4900 feet high. 

It is a characteristic of the mountains of this county, that their 
sides are precipitous and broken. Between the ranges of the 
mountains are extensive valleys, through which flow large 
streams. 

The Adirondack pass, about five miles from the Adirondack iron works, de- 
mands a cursory notice. At an elevation of some 2500 feet above tide water a 
narrow gorge extends quite through- the mountain, whose massive perpendicular 
walls a thousand feet in height, rear themselves on either hand in gloomy sub- 
limity, as if proudly defying the puny art of man. The pass is nearly a mile m 
length, and rises in height from 500 to 1000 feet. 

Rivers. The principal rivers of the county are the Au Sable, 
the Saranac, the Bouquet, the Hudson and the Schroon, with 
their tributaries, and Putnam creek. 

Lakes. No county in the state probably possesses so great a 
number of lakes and ponds as Essex. The character of its sur- 



292 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

face is such as to produce this result ; in its deep chasms and 
mountain gorges, its ravines and dells, bounded by walls of ever 
during granite, the waters which fall upon the hills, or the 
product of the melting snows upon its lofty peaks, gather and 
remain, till they have attained sufficient height to overflow the 
barriers which restrain them. 

It is said that there are in the county nearly one hundred lakes 
and ponds of considerable size. Of these the most important 
are Schroon, Paradox, Terait, Rich, Harries, Delia, Sanford, 
Pharaoh and Placid lakes, and Augur pond. 

Climate. The temperature is low, particularly on the moun- 
tains. In the valleys it is more mild, but the frosts are early 
and severe. It is not well adapted to the raising of fruit, or 
those grains and crops which require a long summer. 

Geology and Minerals. The rocks in this county are pri- 
mary, with the exception of a narrow belt of transition on Lake 
Champlain. They are principally hypersthene', granite, pri- 
mary limestone, gneiss, hornblende, and magnetic iron ore. 

Iron is found in immense quantities in almost every part of the county. The 
principal veins are the Penfield, the Adirondack ores, and the Sanford vein. The 
latter is estimated to contain at least 3,000,000 tons of pure iron. It is in fact a 
mass of pure iron ore, unmixed with rock or earth. The iron of this county, in 
all the qualities which render that metal valuable, is unsurpassed by any in the 
United States, and being situated in a densely wooded country, and with a con- 
venient access to the lake, can be smelted and conveyed to market as advantage- 
ously as any in the country. 

There are in the county, and particularly on the shores of the lakes, fossil veg- 
etables and shells. The other principal minerals are Plumbago, marble of the 
Verd Antique variety, Labradorite, calcareous spar, pyroxene, hornblende, serpen- 
tine, scapolite, tabular spar, Brucite, apatite, tourmaline, sphene, colophonite, 
graphite, zircon, garnet, epsom salts, porcelain clay, and pearl spar. 

Vegetable Productions, Soil, &c. The soil, though broken, 
is rich and fertile. The timber is very abundant, and of large 
size, sonsisting of white and black oak, white and yellow pine- 
maple, beech, hemlock, poplar, walnut, butternut, birch, ash, 
elm, basswood, cherry, fir, spruce, &c. 

Upon Mount Marcy, the gigantic beech and hemlock gradually diminish in size 
to mere shrubs, and the former, unable to sustain the weight of its stem, creeps 
on the rocky surface of its elevated summit. The forests abound with game, and 
the waters with fish. 

Pursuits. A majority of the inhabitants are devoted to agri- 
cultural pursuits. The greater part of the county is adapted 
to grazing, and in some of the valleys grain succeeds well. Po- 
tatoes, oats, together with some wheat, corn and rye are 
grown. Butter and wool are produced in considerable quan- 
tities. 

The preparation of lumber for market is a prominent pursuit 



ESSEX COUNTY. 293 

with the inhabitants. The amount of lumber and timber ex- 
ported is very large. 

Among the manufactures, that of iron is the most impor- 
tant ; it is smelted from the ore in large quantities. 

The. commerce of the county upon the lakes is very consider- 
able, and every year increasing. 

Staples. Iron, lumber, butter, wool, and potatoes. 

Schools. There were in the county, in 1846, 167 school- 
houses, in which 7925 children were taught an average period 
of six months, at an expense for tuition of $8758. The district 
libraries contained 13,774 volumes. 

There were also in the county twenty private schools, with 270 pupils, and two 
academies, with ninety students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Congregationalists, 
Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, and Universalists. 
The number of churches of all denominations in the county is 
forty-two, and of clergymen, tw T enty-nine. 

History. In 1731 a fort, called Fort St. Frederick, was 
erected by the French, at Crown Point, on the bank of Lake 
Champlain ; it was afterward blown up, but the place was again 
fortified, and retained as a military post. 

In 1756, the French erected Fort Ticonderoga, named by 
them Carillon. In 1758, General Abercrombie, with a large 
force, composed of British and provincial troops, attacked the 
fortress, but w T as repulsed, with the loss of nearly 2000 killed 
and wounded. Among the former w 7 as Lord Howe, who was 
universally beloved by the troops. 

In 1759, both Ticonderoga and Crown Point w r ere abandoned 
by the French, on the approach of the English forces. The 
British general garrisoned Ticonderoga, and caused a fort to be 
erected at Crown Point, which was likewise garrisoned by 
English troops. 

In 1775, both fortresses w r ere captured by a corps of Connec- 
ticut and Vermont volunteers, under the command of Colonels 
Ethan Allen,* Seth Warner and Benedict Arnold. Crown 
Point was evacuated the next year. 

On the eleventh of October, 1776, the disastrous expedition 
against Canada was terminated, by the capture of the lake fleet, 
under the command of General Arnold, near Crown Point. 

In July, 1777, Ticonderoga was besieged by General Bur- 
goyne; with great labor and difficulty that officer succeeded in 

* It is related that when Colonel Allen, who had rushed into Fort Ticonderoga, 
sword in hand, ordered the commander of the fort to surrender, he enquired " by 
what authority I" Colonel Allen immediately replied, " I demand it in the name 
of the great Jehovah and the continental congress." 



294 



STATE OP NEW YORK. 



erecting a battery upon Mount Defiance, which overlooked and 
enfiladed the fort. General St. Clair, its commander, was thus 
compelled either to surrender, or evacuate the fort immediately. 
He chose the latter alternative, and made his escape, though 
with some loss. It was then garrisoned by the British. 

In October, 1777, the garrison, hearing of General Bur- 
goyne's surrender, returned precipitately to Canada. Neither 
of the fortresses have since been occupied. 

This county was chiefly settled by emigrants from Vermont, 
and other New England states. Considerable portions of it are 
yet covered with the primeval forests. 

Villages. Elizabethtowi* is a small village, situated in the 
midst of beautiful and picturesque mountain scenery. It is the 
county seat. Population 350. 

Keeseville, lying upon both sides of the Au Sable river, and 
being partly in this county and partly in Clinton, is a large and 
flourishing manufacturing village. Iron, and woollen and cotton 
goods, are largely manufactured here. It has also flouring mills, 
saAv mills, a brewery, machine shop, tannery, &c. The falls of 
the Au Sable give it a fine water power. Here is an incorpo- 
rated academy. Population 2200. 

Westport is a thriving village on the lake. It has a flourish- 
ing incorporated academy. Population 700. 

Ticonderoga, about two miles from the old fort of that name, 
is well situated for manufactures, having a valuable and exten- 
sive water power, very uniform in its supply, and being advan- 
tageously situated for commerce. Population 700. 

Essw is a thriving village and has some commerce. Popu- 
lation 700. 

Willsborough, in the town of the same name, Au Sable 
Forks and Jayville, in the town of Jay, are growing and impor- 
tant villages. 



XXX. GREENE COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 583. 
Organized, 1800. 



Population, 31,957. 
Valuation, 1845, $2,969,673. 




1. Catskill, 1788. 

2. Coxsackie, 1788. 

3. Durham, 1790. 

4. Windham, 1798. 

5. Cairo, 1803. 

6. Greenville, 1S03. 



7. Athens, 1805. 

8. New Baltimore, 1811. 

9. Hunter, 1813. 

10. Lexington, 1813. 

11. Prattsville, 1833. 



Mountains, i. Catskill. u. Pine. 

Rivers. AA. Schoharie kill. C. Hudson, a. Catskill Creek, d. 

Kaaterskill. g. Bataviakill. 
Falls. On the Kaaters kill east branch, three falls. 
Villages. Catskill. Coxsackie. Athens. New Baltimore. 



Boundaries. North by Schoharie and Albany ; East by Hud- 
son river; South by Ulster ; West by Delaware and Schoharie 
counties. 

Surface. The county of Greene has a very hilly and moun- 
tainous surface. The Catskill mountains running centrally 
through the county, divide it into two sections, of which the 
eastern and northern is the most arable. 



296 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

The eastern fronts of the mountains are precipitous, while 
flpon the west their declivities are more gentle. The Pine 
mountain, or Kaatsbergs, form the southwestern boundary, 
The principal peaks of the Catskill mountains are Round Top 
and High Peak, which have elevations from 3000 to 3800 feet 
above tide water. 

Rivers. The principal streams. are Catskill creek, Kaaters- 
kiil, Schoharie kill, and Batavia kill. The Hudson forms its 
eastern boundary. 

Climate. This county has much diversity of climate. The 
peaks of the mountains are covered with snow nearly a month 
later than the valleys, and the summer is shorter, but when 
vegetation commences, it is more rapid than near the Hudson. 

Geology and Mineralogy. The transition and red sand- 
stone formations prevail in this county. The predominant rocks 
of the Catskill division are conglomerates, red and gray shales, 
slates, slaty and coarse grits ; greenish gray and chocolate col- 
ored gray sandstone, known as the Catskill or North river flag 
stone, is abundant. The Helderberg range, consisting of water 
and common limestone and pyritous slate, predominates in the 
north portion of the county. The Hudson river group, compo- 
sed of slate, shales, shaly and thick bedded grits occupies the 
eastern and southeastern part. 

Copper, lead, zinc, iron and coal, have been found in small quantities. Calca- 
reous spar and quartz crystals also occur. 

Vegetable Productions. The mountains are sterile— the 
uplands produce excellent grass, while the valleys are rich, 
yielding good crops of grain. The timber consists of oak, hick- 
ory, cherry, soft and sugar maple, and on the hills beech, birch, 
and in some places, spruce and hemlock. In the mountainous 
districts the trees are of great size. 

Pursuits. 'Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the inhab- 
itants. Comparatively little grain is raised. The products of 
the dairy are large. Many of the farmers are turning their at- 
tention to wool growing, for which the county is well adapted. 

Manufactures. Leather is manufactured to a greater amount 
than in any other county in the state. The other manufactures 
are flour, lumber, paper, fulled cloths, &c. 

Commerce. Catskill, Athens, Coxsackie and New Baltimore, 
are largely engaged in the coasting trade. 

The Staple Productions of the county are butter, oats, corn 
and buckwheat. 

Schools. There were in this county, in 1846, 170 common 
schools, giving instruction to 9071 children, an average period 
of eight months each, at an expense for tuition of $13,147. The 
district libraries contained 19,713 volumes. 



GREENE COUNTY. 297 

There were also thirty-three select schools, with 601 scholars; four academies 
and one female seminary, with seventy-seven students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Bap- 
tists, Dutch Reformed, Episcopalians, Friends, Roman Catho- 
lics, Lutherans, and Unitarians. There are in the county, sixty- 
four churches, and sixty-four clergymen. 

History. Greene county was settled in the latter part of the 
seventeenth century, by the Dutch. Cairo and Coxsackie were 
the principal settlements. Shortly before and after the revolu- 
tion, many families removed from New England into the county, 
and a majority of the present inhabitants claim a puritan de- 
scent. 

It is a matter of regret that so little effort has been made to 
investigate the early history of a county, undoubtedly possessing 
so much historic interest. 

The Hardenburgh patent comprises most of the towns of 
Windham and Lexington. 

Athens was laid out in part, in 1790, by Edward Brockholst 
Livingston, and E. C. Goodrich. 

Villages. Catskill village, in the town of the same name, 
was incorporated in 1806. It is the seat of justice of the county, 
situated on the left bank of the Catskill creek, nearly one mile 
from the Hudson, and is principally built upon a single street, 
about half a mile in extent. 

It is a port for steamboats and sloops, the creek being naviga- 
ble from a short distance above the village, to the Hudson, 
opening a direct communication with the city of New York. 

This village is sustained by a wealthy farming community in 
its own, and adjoining counties ; also by a considerable manu- 
facturing interest. 

In the business season of the year, Main street, and the 
wharves indicate great activity in trade and commerce. 

The prospect of the Hudson from this village is obscured by a 
high bluff running parallel with the river, yet this bluff affords 
desirable sites for residences, some of which are occupied and 
highly improved. 

The location of this village is important, being the terminus 
of a number of stage routes, some of which communicate with 
the valley of the Susquehanna. Its public buildings are neat, 
and its general appearance that of industry. It has an academy, 
and a select school for young ladies. Population 3000. 

Athens, in the town of the same name, pleasantly situated 
opposite the city of Hudson, was incorporated in 1805, — it is ex- 
tensively engaged in manufactures, especially of brick and lime. 



298 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

A considerable number of sloops are owned here, which ply to 
and from New York. A steam ferry connects it with the city 
of Hudson. Population 1500. 

Coxsackie Landing, in the town of Coxsackie, is a thriving 
village, engaged in the coasting trade, and in the manufacture 
of brick. It has an academy of some note. Population 1500. 

Prattsville, lying on the Schoharie kill, manufactures more 
leather than any town in the United States. It received its 
name from Hon. Zadoc Pratt, who established extensive tan- 
neries here. The village is also engaged in other manufactures. 
Population 1200. 

The "Mountain House," so widely celebrated as a summer 
resort for travellers, is within the limits of the town of Hunter. 
It is situated on the Pine Orchard, a peak of the Catskill 
mountains, twelve miles from the village of Catskill, and at an 
elevation of 2212 feet above the Hudson. 

The prospect from this point is one of the most extensive and 
beautiful in the world. The majestic Hudson, with its green 
islets, its numerous sails, its cities, villages, and highly culti- 
vated farms, is visible, on a clear day, for sixty miles in extent, 
while in the distance, the dim outlines of the Taghkanic moun- 
tains bound the horizon. 

About two miles west of the "Mountain House" are the 
Kaaters kill Falls, upon a stream issuing from two lakes in the 
rear of the hotel. The waters leap over a perpendicular bar- 
rier, 175 feet, and pausing momentarily upon a rocky ledge, 
plunge down eighty-five feet more, and are hid from the view, 
in the dark ravine through which they seek the valley of the 
Catskill. 

The scenery around, the deep green forests, the rugged cliffs, 
covered with ivy and summer foliage, and the extended pros- 
pect, add to the sublimity of the waterfall, and render this one 
of the most picturesque and magnificent scenes in nature. 

New Baltimore, Cairo and Coxsackie are villages of some 
importance, in the towns of the same names. 



XXXI. GENESEE COUNTY, 

Square miles, 473. Population. 28,845. 

Organized, 1802. Valuation, 1845, $5,873,385. 




TOWNS. 

8. Elba, 1820. 

9. Stafford, 1820. 

10. Alabama, 1826. 

11. Darien, 1^32. 

12. Oakfield, 1842. 

13. Pavilion, 1842. 



1. Batavia, 1802. 

2. Alexander, 1812. 

3. Bethany, 1S12. 

4. Le Roy, 1812. 

5. Pembroke, 1812. 

6. Bergen, 181S. 

7. Byron, 1820. 

Creeks, b. Black creek, c. Allen's d. Oak Orchard, r. Tonawanda. 
Falls on Allen's Creek in Le Roy. 

Villages. Batavia. Le Roy. 

Boundaries. North by Orleans and Monroe ; East by Mon- 
roe and Livingston; South by Wyoming; West by Erie and 
Niagara. 

Surface. The surface of this county may be considered as a 
table land, inclined toward the north, and divided into two sec- 
tions. The first embraces the northern portion, from five to 
eight miles in breadth, and includes the Tonawanda swamp. 
Separated from this by a rocky ridge, the second gradually rises 
to the southern boundary of the county. 

Rivers. The general direction of its streams is north-east 
and north-west, of which Tonawanda, Allen's, (so called after 



300 



STATE OF NEW YORK. 



Indian Allen who had his residence in this neighborhood,) Oak 
Orchard, Black and Murder Creeks, are the principal. 

Railroads. The Tonawanda railroad, entering the county 
in the town of Bergen, has a southward course through Bata- 
via, to Attica. The Batavia and Rochester connects this with 
the eastern lines. 

Climate. Mild, temperate and equable. At the early set- 
tlement of the county, intermittent and remittent fevers prevail- 
ed, but they are now very rare. 

Geology and Mineralogy. The whole county is comprised 
in the transition formation. Its principal rocks are the different 
varieties of limestone, sandstone and calciferous and marly 
slate. 

The minerals are few in number ; the most important are gypsum, argillaceous 
iron ore, marl and peat. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is chiefly a 
sandy or gravelly loam, highly productive in' grass, summer 
crops, and especially in wheat. The timber of the county is • 
oak, elm, beach, maple, birch, &c. The maple is very abun- 
dant, yielding large quantities of sugar. 

Pursuits. The inhabitants are principally employed in agri- 
culture. Wheat is extensively raised. 

Manufactures. Flour, lumber, leather, woollen cloths, and 
potash, are the principal articles of manufacture. 

Commerce. The railroads furnish the principal means of 
transportation within the county. 

Staples. Wheat, potatoes, oats, wool, corn and butter. 

Schools. The county, in 1846, contained 166 district schools, 
which were in session an average period of nine months each, 
and were attended by 9,316 scholars. $12,506 was paid to 
teachers, and the libraries contained 19,458 volumes. 

There were also seventeen private schools, attended by 431 pupils; three 
academies, and two female seminaries, with 360 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Universalists, Unita- 
rians and Friends. The total number of churches is fifty ; of 
clergymen, sixty-seven. 

History. Nearly the whole of this county lies within the 
Holland Land Company's purchase, from whom the present 
inhabitants hold their titles. Some small tracts in the southern 
part of the county, still belong to the successors of that com- 
pany. 

A tract of 87,000 acres, comprising the towns of Sweden and 
Clarkson, in Monroe county, and part of Bergenand Le Roy, in 



GENESEE COUNTY. 301 

this county, and known as the Triangle tract, was sold by Rob- 
ert Morris, to Messrs. Le Roy, Bayard and McEvers. 

The first settlement in the county was at Batavia, about the 
commencement of the present century. The Holland Land 
Company erected their land office here in 1801. In October, 
1804, the settlement contained from twenty to thirty houses, 
mostly built of logs. It was at that time very sickly. The fer- 
tility of its soil and its adaptation to the culture of grain, caused 
a rapid immigration, and it was organized as a county, in 1802. 
It then comprised, however, the present counties of Allegany, 
Chautauque, Niagara, Erie, Cattaraugus, Orleans, Wyoming, 
and the western portions of Monroe and Livingston. 

Villages. Batavia village, the county seat, was incorpo- 
rated in 1823. It is laid out in a plat, two miles square, and has 
over 300 buildings, a female seminary, the office of the Holland 
Land Company, and a number of manufactories. 

Le Roy, in the town of Le Roy, is a thriving village, situated 
on Allen's Creek, and incorporated in 1834. The village lots 
are spacious, and the dwellings are generally built of stone, pre- 
senting a very neat appearance. The rapid growth of this vil- 
lage is due to the hydraulic power of the creek, which has three 
considerable falls. 

The first fall at the village, is eighteen feet, the second about 
a mile below, twenty-seven feet, and the third within two miles, 
eighty feet, affording great facilities for manufacturing purposes. 
A number of sites are occupied by flour, oil, and other mills. 

It is a remarkable fact that much of the water of this creek 
disappears before it reaches the highest fall, which is supposed 
to supply the Caledonia spring in the adjoining town, in Livings- 
ton county. It has about 2000 inhabit-ants. Here is a flourish- 
ing female seminary. 

Alexander is a village of some importance, in the town of the 
same name. It has an incorporated classical school. Popula- 
tion, 500. 



14 



XXXII. ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. 

Square miles, 2,717. Population, 62,354. 

Organized, 1802. Valuation, 1845, $3,645,2( 




1. Lisbon, 1S01. 

2. Oswegatchie, 1802. 

3. Madrid, 1802. 

4. Massena,. 1802. 

5. Hopkinton, 1805. 

6. Brasher, 1805; 

7. Canton, 1805. 

8. Russel, 1805. 

9. De Kalb, 1800. 

10. Potsdam, 1806. 

11. Stockholm, 1806. 

12. Gouverneur, 1810. 

13. Louisville, 1810. 

14. Rossi e, 1813. 



15. Parishville, 1814. 

16. Pierrepont, 1814. 

17. Fowler, 1816. 

18. Morristown, 1821, 

19. Norfolk, 1822. 

20. DePeyster, 1825, 

21. Edwards, 1827. 

22. Hammond, 1827. 

23. Lawrence, 1828. 

24. Hermon. 1830. 

25. Pitcairn, 1837. 

26. Fine, 1842. 

27. Colton, 1842. 

28. Macomb. 1842. 



ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. 303 

Mountains. PP. Highlands of St. Lawrence county. 

Rivers. I. St. Lawrence, a. Oswegatchie. b. Indian, c. Grasse. 
d. Racket, e. St. Regis, f. Deer. g. East branch Oswegatchie. 
h. West branch Oswegatchie. 

Lakes, k. Black. 

Falls. On the St. Regis, in Brasher, Hopkinton and Parishville. 
On the Racket, at Potsdam, Coiton and St. Regis. On the Grasse, 
at Canton and Pierrepont. On the Oswegatchie, at Canton and 
Rossie. 

Forts. Ogdensburgh. 

Battle Fields. Ogdensburgh. 

Villages. Canton. Ogdensburgh. Rossie. Brasher's falls. Pots- 
dam. Gouverneur, Waddington. Massena. Norfolk. 

Boundaries. North by the river St. Lawrence ; East by 
Franklin county ; South by Hamilton and Herkimer ; and West 
by Lewis and Jefferson counties, and the St. Lawrence river. 

Surface. The surface of this county is agreeably diversified. 
Along the bank of the St. Lawrence river, for a distance of 
seventy -five miles in length, and from thirty to forty in breadth, 
the county consists of gentle swells, broad valleys, or extensive 
plains. Farther south it rises into hills, and finally assumes 
a mountainous character, in the southeast, where are situated 
the Highlands of the St. Lawrence. 

Rivers. The principal streams of the county besides the St. 
Lawrence, are the St. Regis, Racket, Grasse, Indian, Oswe- 
gatchie and Deer rivers, which by their long and circuitous 
courses and numerous tributaries, abundantly water it. A nat- 
ural canal, six miles long, connects the Oswegatchie and Grasse 
rivers, in the town of Canton. 

Falls. Most of these streams have numerous falls or rapids, 
furnishing a large amount of water power. 

Lakes. Black Lake is the only one of importance. There 
are many extensive marshes. 

Climate. The climate is less variable than in most counties 
of the state. The air is clear, and the seasons uniform, compen- 
sating for the severe cold of winter, and contributing to the 
health of its inhabitants. 

Geology and Minerals. That portion of the county lying 
along the St. LawTence, for a width often or fifteen miles, be^- 
longs to the tertiary, or rather the alluvial formation, consisting 
of clay and gravel; this is succeeded, at a distance of fifteen or 
twenty miles from the river, by a belt of Potsdam sandstone, 
running nearly parallel to the St. Lawrence, and varying in 
width from five to ten miles ; the remainder of the county be- 
longs wholly to the primary formation, and consists of hypers- 
thene, gneiss, granite and primitive limestone. 



304 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

The Potsdam sandstone forms one of the finest building materials in the world. 
Specular iron ore is found in this county in immense quantities, and is largely 
manufactured. The magnetic and bog iron ores are also quite abundant. Gra- 
phite or black lead is found in several localities. Lead exists in vast quantities in 
the neighborhood of Rossie. Zinc and copper occur frequently. Marble, ser- 
pentine, and other forms of carbonate of lime are deposited in various parts of 
the county ; steatite or soapstone is plentiful. The other principal minerals are 
phosphate of lime, sulphate of barytes, quartz crystals, Brucite, talc, pyroxene, 
hornblende, asbestus, feldspar, albite, Labradorite, mica, spinel, tourmaline, zircon, 
Babingtonite and sphene. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The greater portion of 
the land is of excellent quality. The soil consists of a dark veg- 
etable mould, often underlaid with lime and marl, and is very 
productive of grasses, grains, &c. Much of the county is yet 
covered with dense forests of oak, beech, maple, basswood, but- 
ternut, ash, elm, hemlock, white and Norway pine. In the 
marshes white cedar, tamarack and black ash, are the principal 
trees. From the maple, large quantities of sugar are manufac- 
tured. 

Pursuits. The people are chiefly engaged in agriculture. 
Great numbers of cattle are reared, and much attention paid to 
the products of the dairy. They are be -oming interested in 
manufactures , which at present are mostly limited to flour, 
lumber, fulled cloths, potash and leather. 

Commerce. The commerce of the county is increasing in 
value and importance. Ogdensburgh is the principal port. 
The shipping of the Oswegatchie district amounted, in 1845, to 
about 1500 tons. 

Staple Productions. Butter, cheese, potatoes, oats, corn, 
peas, wheat, sugar, wool, potash and lumber. 

Schools. There were 402 common schools in the county in 
1846, taught an average period of seven months each, and 
attended by 22,263 children. The teachers were paid $22,023. 
The libraries contained 33,191 volumes. 

The number of select schools was twenty-three, with 303 scholars ; of acade- 
mies, four, with 346 students. 

Religious Denominations. Presbyterians, Methodists, Con- 
gregationalists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Universalists and Ro- 
man Catholics. Total number of churches, seventy-five ; of 
clergymen, 125. 

History. The French erected a fort at Oswegatchie, in this 
county before 1740, which they named Fort Presentation. 
This fort was captured by General Amherst, in 1760. 

The first permanent settlement in the county seems to have 
been made in 1796, by Judge Nathan Ford, at Oswegatchie. 
At that time the Oswegatchie Indians had a village near his 
settlement, and attempted several times to drive him away, but 
without success. The next settlement was made at Canton, by 



ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY. 305 

Mr. Stillman Foot, in 1799. These were soon succeeded by 
others, mostly from New England, and a line of settlements 
was speedily formed along the river. Much of the land in the 
county is held by the ivussre. Van Rensselaer, Gouverneur 
Morris and other wealthy capitalists. 

During the late war with Great Britain, some interesting in- 
cidents occurred in this county. On the second of October, 
1812, the British, in retaliation for the destruction of a large 
quantity of their stores at Gananoque, Canada, by Captain For- 
syth, commenced a heavy cannonade upon Ogdensburgh, from 
their batteries at Prescott, a Canadian village, on the opposite 
bank of the St. Lawrence. They continued the cannonade for 
two days, and on Sunday, the fourth of October, attempted to 
storm the town. 

For this purpose, about 1000 men were embarked in forty 
boats; as they approached the American shore, General Brown 
ordered his troops to fire upon them. They did so, and for two 
hours the British attempted to land, but the galling fire of the 
Americans was too severe to be endured, and at length they 
were compelled to retreat to Prescott, with the loss of three 
boats and a number of men. The American force engaged in 
this contest, was only about 400 men. 

On the twenty-first of February, 1813, the British again attack- 
ed Ogdensburgh with a large force, and, though encountering the 
most determined resistance, succeeded in driving out the Amer- 
ican troops, and capturing the village. 

Two schooners, two gunboats and the soldiers' barracks were 
destroyed, and the enemy returned to Canada. The army of 
General Wilkinson embarked for the campaign of the autumn 
of 1813, from Morristown, in this county. Since the war, the 
increase of population in this county has been exceedingly rapid. 
Its population has nearly quadrupled in twenty-five years ; and 
from its extraordinary facilities for manufactures, mining and 
agriculture, its future growth must necessarily be rapid. 

In 1838, this county and the Canada shore opposite, was the 
scene of some of the exploits of the Canada Patriots, (so called.) 
The battle of Prescott was fought at Windmill Point, nearly 
opposite Ogdensburgh, and several of the citizens of New York, 
who had aided " the Patriots," were taken prisoners and execu- 
ted, and others banished to Van Dieman's Land. 

Antiquities. In the town of Gouverneur, is an ancient Indian 
fortification, consisting of an embankment, enclosing three acres, 
and containing some remains of rude sculpture. 

Villages. Canton village is the county seat. It is situated 
on Grasse river, and contains besides the county buildings, an 



306 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

academy, and some manufactories. A fine wooden bridge, with 
three piers, crosses the river here. Population, 1300. 

Ogdensburgh, in the town of Oswegatchie, and at the mouth 
of Oswegatchie river, was incorporated in 1317. It is a flour- 
ishing village of about 4000 inhabitants. It has an academy in 
a very prosperous condition. It is at the foot of sloop naviga- 
tion on the St. Lawrence, and is the terminus of the proposed 
Ogdensburgh and Plattsburgh railroad. 

Po'sdam, incorporated in 183 1 , is the seat of the St. Law- 
rence academy, a chartered institution, with two large stone 
edifices, each four stories high. It has also several manufacto- 
ries. Population, 1200. 

Rossie is celebrated for its valuable and inexhaustible lead 
mines. Population, 800. 

Brasher 1 '« Falls, on the rapids of Deer river, is finely situated 
for manufacturing purposes. 

Waddington is a manufacturing village in the town of Madrid. 
It was incorporated in 1839, and is rapidly increasing in popu- 
lation. A bridge connects it with Ogden's island, in the St. 
Lawrence. Population, 600. 

Gouverneur is the coldest place in the state. Here is located 
the Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary. Population, 600. 



XXXIII. 




SENECA COUNTY. 

Square miles, 308. 
Population, 24,972. 
Organized, 1804. 
Valuation, 1845, $5,674,034. 



1. Ovid, 17S9. 

2. Romulus, 1789. 

3. Fayette, 1S00. 

4. Junius, 1803. 

5. Covert, 1817. 

6. Lodi, 182d. 

7. Seneca Falls, 1829. 

8. Tyre, 1829. 

9. Waterloo, 1829, 
10. Variek, 1830. 



Rivers. c. Clyde. k. 

Seneca. 
Lakes. BB. Seneca. DD. 

Cayuga. 
Fills. Seneca. 
Villages. Waterloo. 

Ovid. Seneca Falls. 

Boundaries. North 
by Wayne county ; East 
by Cayuga county and 
Cayuga Lake ; South by 
Tompkins county ; and 
West by Seneca Lake 
and Ontario county. 

Surface. The surface 
'of this county rises from 
the lakes, which bound 
it on either side, to an altitude of 1200 or 1300 feet above tide 
water, and presents a pleasing diversity of beautiful valleys and 
hills. 

Rivers. The Seneca outlet is the principal stream, connect- 
ing Seneea and Cayuga lakes. The Clyde crosses its north- 
eastern corner. 

Falls. The Seneca outlet has a descent of forty -seven feet, 
at the village of Seneea Falls. 
Lakes. The lakes are Seneca and Cayuga. 



308 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Canals. The Erie canal passes through the town of Tyre, 
in the north-east corner of this county, and the Cayuga and 
Seneca canal crosses the county, through the towns of Seneca 
and Waterloo, connecting the waters of the Seneca and Cayuga 
Lakes, and the Erie canal, at Montezuma. 

Railroads. The Auburn and Rochester railroad passes 
through this county, most of the distance running parallel with 
Seneca outlet and canal. 

Climate. Mild and temperate. The situation of the county 
between two considerable bodies of water, prevents the long 
continuance of snow in winter, and essentially modifies the 
climate. It is considered healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. The rocks of the northern section 
of this county, belong to the Onondaga salt group ; those of the 
central, to the Helderberg limestones ; and the southern to the 
Ludlowville shales of the Erie group. 

Gypsum, or plaster of Paris is found in extensive beds near Seneca falls, and is 
largely exported. Variegated marble occurs near Seneca lake. Petroleum or 
Seneca oil is found floating on the Seneca lake, and on springs near it. A pool 
twenty feet in diameter, near Cayuga, constantly gives off nitrogen gas in large 
quantities. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is mostly a 
calcareous loam and mould of excellent quality, and well 
adapted to wheat and grass. Fruit is cultivated to a consider- 
able extent, and attains great perfection. Oak, maple, beech, 
elm, butternut, and in the highlands, pine and hemlock, are the 
principal forest trees. 

Pursuits. The people are largely engaged in the culture of 
wdieat and grass, and the rearing of cattle. 

Manufactures are increasing. The principal articles are 
flour, cotton and woollen goods, distilled liquors, and leather. 

Commerce. The county has considerable commerce, both by 
way of the Seneca and Cayuga lakes, and by the Erie canal. 
Gypsum and agricultural products are largely exported. 

Staple Productions. Wheat, oats, corn, hops, plaster of 
Paris, wool and butter. 

Schools. In 1846, there were 110 common schools, taught, 
on an average, nine months each, and attended by 8065 chil- 
dren. The teachers' wages amounted to $13,023, and the dis- 
trict libraries to 14,956 volumes. 

There were also twenty-two select schools, with 298 scholars, and three acad- 
emies, with 248 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Bap- 
tists, Dutch Reformed, Episcopalians, Friends, and Roman 
Catholics. . The whole number of churches is thirty-eight, of 
clergymen, forty-six. 



SENECA COUNTY. 309 

History. The first settlers id Seneca county were Messrs. 
Horatio Jones and Lawrence Van Clief, who located them- 
selves at Seneca Falls, in 1784 or 1785. Mr. James Bennet 
settled at West Cayuga, in 1787. Colonel Mynderse, who es- 
tablished himself in Seneca Falls in 1795, founded the village of 
that name in 1816. 

The county belonged to the Military Tract, granted to the sol- 
diers of the state, by the legislature, and the land titles are de- 
rived from them. The Indian title to these lands was not ex- 
tinguished till 1789. Its growth has been rapid since its first 
settlement. 

Vh.lages. Waterloo village, in the town of W T aterloo, is a 
half shire town, lying on the north side of the Seneca outlet, and 
incorporated in 1824. It is a very flourishing manufacturing vil- 
lage, containing, besides the county buildings, a number of 
churches and a chartered academy, occupying a fine building, 
and amply provided with apparatus for the illustration of the 
natural sciences. Large quantities of limestone are quarried 
in the vicinity. The Cayuga and Seneca canal, and the Au- 
burn and Rochester railroad, both pass through the village 
Population 3200. 

Ovid, a half shire village, was incorporated in 1816. It is sit- 
uated on elevated ground, about midway between the lakes, and 
commands a fine and widely extended prospect. It has a char- 
tered academy. Population 700. 

Seneca Falls was incorporated in 1S31, and, like Waterloo, 
is situated on the Seneca outlet, the canal and railroad. It de- 
rives an abundant hydraulic power from the Seneca outlet, the 
water of which is constant and steady, and is applied exten- 
sively to manufacturing purposes, by means of four dams hav- 
ing a total fall of forty-seven feet. A flourishing academy is 
located at this village. Population 3000. 



14* 



XXIV. LEWIS COUNTY 



Square miles, 1122. 
Organized, 1805. 



Population, 20,218. 
Valuation, 1845, $1,675,000. 




1. Leyden, 1797. 

2. Lowville, 1800. 

3. Turin, 1800. 



4. Harrisburg, 1803. 

5. Martinsburgh, 1S03. 

6. Denmark, 1807. 



LEWIS COUNTY. 0il 

„. , , ,000 11. West Turin, 1830. 

7. Pmckney ,1808. h 1842> 

8. Watson 1^21. 13 . Osceola, 1S42. 

9. Greig, lbto. 

10. Diana, 1S3U Independence Creek. 

■TEir^^S- j.^ron.%. Indian, h. West 
branch of Osvvegatchie. 

SST FaUs't the Biack river, at Denmark and Greig. 
TO***. Makt.nsburg. Lowville. Copenhagen. 

nearly equal sections. The extern rn Un(j _ 

.from the river, to he ■w*™"'*^,,^ from the BUuSk 

The western -/"^t K n "ndining To the south and 

De R erStter B Frsn, Salntotand Indian creeks, and the west 

S^WjSrflSS the town 
Falls. Blaek river has *J*™"** ^town f Denmark. 

pfe ,ust helow - high fid, atLeyden. ^ ^ 

T^wintersarelot but the uniformity of the temperature 
IneSmrss unpleasant, than ^^^ 

Geologv and M.NEBAL The country ^ 

a narrow belt in the western part of th «# also 

ton ore is very abundant and «£E£Z£giSS, of nonce are, *- 

Sa„r' 'and^re^ % C SX P c y onn t ,es in Ure sU.e are ricner rn 
mineral wealth. rp, -i : g various, 

Soil and Vegetable Productions Tl i » 

composed of a fertile alluvium, or a g/^ t J^furnishes 
loam. It is susceptible of a profitable cult vat ion a 
fine grazing. The timber is principally pine, sprue , 



312 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

beech, maple, elm, ash, with some white oak and walnut. The 
eastern section still has extensive forests. From the maple, 
are manufactured considerable quantities of sugar. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the chief employment of the inhab- 
itants; the products of the dairy are large. 

Manufactures. The county has abundant water power, but 
as yet it is but little improved. Flour, lumber, leather, and 
fulled cloths, are the chief articles of manufacture. 

Commerce. There is little or no commerce ; the completion 
of the Black River canal will aid materially in bringing the pro- 
duce of their rich and fertile lands to market. 

The Staples of the county are butter and cheese, wool, po- 
tatoes, oats, and wheat. Considerable quantities of barley, 
buckwheat, flax, hops, and sugar, are also produced. 

Schools. The district school-houses in the county, in 1846, 
were 150 in number, in which were instructed 6139 pupils. 
The average length of the schools was seven months. The 
teachers wages, $6196; the number of volumes in the district 
libraries, 11,886. There were six private schools with eighty- 
three scholars, and one academy with sixty- two pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists, Universalists, Roman Catholics, 
Episcopalians, and Friends. The total number of churches is 
thirty-seven, of clergymen, forty-four. 

History. The whole of this county was originally owned 
by Alexander Macomb. The western part was afterward 
sold to a company of capitalists in New York city, and the east- 
ern to a French company at Paris. The first settlers w~re 
pioneers from Connecticut and Massachusetts, who made their 
way, in 1797, from Utica and Fort Stanwix, (now Rome,) at 
that time small settlements, by a line of marked trees, to the 
falls of Black river, and from thence to the town of Lowville, 
where they established themselves. Their families followed, 
the succeeding winter, through snow so deep as to make it 
necessary to break paths for the cattle and teams, while moth- 
ers, shod with snow-shoes, bore their infants in their arms. 
For some time after, the farmers were obliged to go forty miles 
to mill, carrying their grain upon their shoulders. 

Villages. Martinsburg, in the town of the same name, con- 
tains the county buildings, a female seminary, and a number of 
factories. Population 800. 

Lowville is a village of some business in the town of Low- 
ville. It has an incorporated academy. Population 800. 

Copenhagen, in the town of Denmark, is situated on both 
sides of Deer river. It is a flourishing village, and engaged in 
manufactures. Population about 500. 



XXXV. JEFFERSON COUNTY. 



Square miles, 1125. 
Organized, 1805. 



Population, 64,999. 
Valuation, 1845, $,6,536,651. 




1. Ellisburgh, 1797. 

2. Champion, 1800. 

3. Houndsfield, 1800. 

4. Watertown, 1800. 



TOWNS. 

5. Wilna, 1800. 

6. Adams, 1802. 

7. Brownville, 1802. 

8. Rutland, 1802. 



314 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

9. Lorraine, 1804. 15. Pamelia, 1819. 

10. Rodman, 1804. 16. Alexandria, 1821. 

11. Le Ray, 1806. 17. Orleans, 1821. 

12. Henderson, 1806. 18. Philadelphia, 1821. 

13. Antwerp, 1816. 19. Clayton, 1832. 

14. Lyme, 1817. 20. Theresa, 1S42. 

Rivers and Creeks. I. St. Lawrence River, a. Black River, b. 

Indian River, d. Chaumont Creek, e. Perch, f. Stoney. g. 

Sandy. 
Lakes, ^c. J. Ontario, i. Perch, j. Yellow, k. Hungry Bay. 1. 

Black River, m. Chaumont Bay. 
Islands, n. Gallop Island, o. Stoney. p. Grenadier, q. Fox r. 

Carlton, s. Grindstone, t. Wells. 
Falls. On the Indian river. On the Black river at Champion, 

Rutland, and Watertown. Long Falls, Wilna. 
Forts. Sacket.ts Harbor. 
Villages. Watertown. Sacketts Harbor. Brownville. Cornelia. 

Carthage. 

Boundaries. North by the St. Lawrence River, and St. 
Lawrence county ; East by Lewis county ; South by Oswego 
county, and West by Lake Ontario. 

Surface. The surface of Jefferson county may be divided 
into two terraces, the broader of which is on the northwest. 
The Ridge Road, extending from the Niagara river, at a dis- 
tance of from six to ten miles from the lake, and undoubtedly 
indicating the ancient limits of Lake Ontario, is here about 100 
feet in height. The surface between this and the lake is level 
or gently undulating. From this ridge the county has a gentle 
descent toward the southeast, where an elevated ridge crosses 
it, and gives it a broken and hilly appearance. 

Rivers. The chief streams of the county, besides the St. 
Lawrence, are the Black and Indian rivers, Chaumont, Perch, 
Stoney, and Sandy creeks. 

Falls. There is a series of falls in the Black river, com- 
mencing at the Long falls in Carthage. 

Lakes. The chief lakes are Ontario, Perch, and Yellow, 

Bays. Hungry, Black River, and Chaumont bays are inden- 
tations of greater or less extent, upon the lake coast. 

Islands. Along its western line are situated Gallop, Stoney, 
Fox, Grenadier, Carlton, Grindstone, and Wells islands. 

Climate. Equable and healthy. The winters are cold, but 
without sudden changes. The summer heats are moderated 
by the lake breezes. 

Geology and Minerals. The primary formation is confined 
to two or three small districts in the county, principally in the 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 315 

north and northeast part. In Alexandria, there is a small tract 
where the primitive rocks are near the surface. They are 
granite, primitive limestone, gneiss, and hornblende. The 
greater part of the county, however, belongs to the transition 
formation. 

The order of arrangement of the rocks of this formation, here, is the following, be- 
ginning at the northern part of the county : Potsdam sandstone, extending to a point 
a little south of Theresa falls ; calciferous sand rock and birdseye limestone, ap- 
pearing as far south as the Black river ; Trenton limestone, extending through 
Houndsfield, Adams, Watertown, and Rutland, and succeeded by a narrow belt of 
the Utica slate ; this is followed by the Lorraine shales, lying in Rodman, Lor- 
raine, and Pinckney. In the southern line of towns, the gray sandstone occurs in 
small quantities. 

Bog iron ore, spathic iron, specular iron, arragonite, cacoxene, pyrites, celes- 
tine, terenite, tremolite, fluor spar, green malachite, tourmaline, strontianite, idio- 
crase, apatite, pyroxene, and massive heavy spar, tufa, peat, and graphite in six 
sided tablets, are the principal minerals. 

There is a cave in the town of Pamelia, nearly opposite Watertown, contain- 
ing a number of apartments, and some fine spars. It has been explored for 
nearly half a mile. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally a 
fertile sandy loam, with some clay and gravel, and susceptible 
of a high degree of cultivation. In the basin on the northwest, 
wheat grows abundantly, but the higher lands in the southeast 
are more favorable to grazing. The forests abound with oak, 
maple, beech, birch, walnut, ash, elm, hemlock, pine, tamarack, 
and red and white cedar. The cranberry grows abundantly in 
the swamps, and forms an article of export. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the leading pursuit of the people. 
Great numbers of cattle and swine are reared for the east- 
ern market ; the products of the dairy are very large. Pota- 
toes, oats, corn, wheat, rye, barley, and flax are produced in 
great abundance, and the wool-growing interest is not neg- 
lected. The county ranks among the first for agricultural pro- 
ducts in the state. 

The manufactures of the county are extensive and rapidly 
increasing. The principal articles are flour, lumber, iron, 
leather, distilled liquors, potash, and woollen goods. The 
value of articles manufactured in the county in 1845, was nearly 
82,000,000. 

The commerce of this county is large and constantly increas- 
ing. About one half of its produce finds its way to a market 
down the St. Lawrence ; the remainder through the Oswego 
and Erie canals, enters the Hudson, or through the Welland 
and Western canals, and the great lakes, is distributed over the 
Mississippi valley. The shipping of this county amounts to 
about 5000 tons. The completion of the Black River canal will 



316 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

open a more ready and convenient conveyance for the produce 
of portions of the county. 

Staple Productions. Butter and cheese, potatoes, oats, 
corn, wheat, wool, flax, barley, and peas. 

Schools. There were 368 district schools in the county, in 
1846. The average length of the schools was seven months — 
number of scholars, 22,866 — amount of teachers' wages, $24,141 
— and number of volumes in the school libraries, 37,552. 

There are also fifty-four private schools, with 1089 scholars, and two acade- 
mies, with 173 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Universalists, Roman 
Catholics, Dutch Reformed, Unitarians, Friends, and Jews. 
There are ninety-two churches, and 106 clergymen of all de- 
nominations in the county. 

History. The first settlement made in this county by whites, 
was at Ellisburgh, in 1793, by Mr. Lyman Ellis'. The next was 
at Champion, not long after, by settlers from Connecticut. The 
third was at Watertovvn, in 1800, by Mr. Henry Coffin, of New 
Hampshire. In the succeeding year, emigrants from New Eng- 
land settled in Adams, Rodman, Brovvnville, and Houndsfield ; 
and the year after in Sacketts Harbor and Rutland. Mounds 
and fortifications of great antiquity, and exhibiting a high de- 
gree of architectural skill, are scattered over every part of the 
county. 

At the commencement of the late war with Great Britain, 
Sacketts Harbor was selected as the principal naval depot of the 
lake frontier, on account of the excellency of its harbor. 

On the twenty-second and twenty-third of April, 1813, General 
Dearborn, with a force of 1700 men, embarked from this port, 
to attack York, (now Toronto,) Canada West. The assault on 
York was successful, though the brave General Pike, by whom 
it was led, lost his life by the explosion of the magazine. But 
the withdrawal of so large a body of troops from Sacketts Har- 
bor, left the important military stores there exposed; and as 
might have been expected, the British forces at Kingston, 
availed themselves of the opportunity, to make a descent upon 
that village. 

On the twenty-eighth of May, 1813, they appeared off the 
harbor, with four ships, one brig, two schooners, two gun boats, 
and thirty-three flat bottomed boats, containing in all 1200 
troops. The alarm of their approach had been given, and Gen- 
eral Brown had made every exertion in his power to defend the 
harbor. The British suffered themselves to delay, in the at- 
tempt to capture some boats, coming from Oswego with troops, 
and thus the militia from the vicinity had time to assemble ; but 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 317 

not more than 1000 troops could be collected in all, of whom 
more than 500 were raw militia, and about 200 more, invalids. 
General Brown arranged the militia behind a breast work, 
hastily thrown up, to oppose the landing of the enemy. In the 
rear of these he had stationed a part of the regular troops. 
The regular artillerists occupied Fort Tompkins, and Lieuten- 
ant Chauncey, with a small corps, defended the naval stores at 
Navy Point. 

The British made an effort to land, but were at first repulsed 
with severe loss ; but after the second fire, the militia became 
panic struck, and abandoning their breast work, fled in the ut- 
most confusion. Colonel Mills, their commander, w T as killed in 
the attempt to rally them. 

Meantime the enemy effected a landing, and commenced their 
march towards the village, but met with the most desperate op- 
position. Finding, however, that he was likely to be overpow- 
ered by the superior force of the enemy, General Brown con- 
certed a stratagem which gained him the day, and compelled 
the enemy to retreat. Learning that the militia, whose flight 
had prevented success in the onset, w r ere still in the neighbor- 
hood, he hastened to them, put himself at their head, ordered 
them to follow him, and passing silently through a distant wood, 
in the direction of the enemy's boats, induced the British com- 
mander to believe that he intended to cut off his retreat. 

Alarmed at this, and believing the American force superior to 
his own, in point of numbers, the British general withdrew his 
forces with the utmost precipitation, leaving his dead and 
wounded behind him. He was not pursued, because pursuit 
would have exhibited the weakness of the American force. 

While the battle was at its height, intelligence was brought 
to Lieutenant Chauncey, that the Americans were about to sur- 
render, and accordingly he, in compliance with his orders, set 
fire to the stores and shipping, to prevent their falling into the 
hands of the enemy. Learning his error, however, he made 
the utmost effort to arrest the flames, and succeeded in saving 
a considerable portion. The British loss was severe in this ac- 
tion, three of their field officers being killed, and not less than 
150 wounded, killed and prisoners. The American loss was 
about the same in number. 

Alter ret eating to their shipping, the British demanded the 
surrender of*he village, which was promptly refused. 

On the thirtieth of May, 1814, a number of boats coming from 
Oswego, with cannon and rigging for the new vessels building 
at Sacketts Harbor, and well manned with sailors, riflemen and 
Indians, were pursued into Henderson harbor, by five British 
gunboats, manned with about 200 English marines and sailors. 



318 



STATE OF NEW YORK 



Captain Woolsey, of the American navy, had command of the 
American boats, and landing as quickly as possible, stationed 
a part of his riflemen and Indians in ambuscade on each side of 
the road, and placed a small body of militia in front of the land- 
ing, to contest the passage of the enemy. His stratagem was 
successful. The British rushed on, and the militia fled before 
them, but the party in ambush poured upon them so deadly 
a fire as to compel them to surrender, with the loss of twenty 
killed, and forty or fifty wounded. The number of prisoners was 
137. Five gunboats, armed with heavy cannon, were also cap- 
tured. 

After the war, the extraordinary facilities afforded by the 
county, for sustaining an abundant population, gave it a rapid 
growth, and it is now one of the largest counties in the state. 

Its population quadrupled between 1810 and 1840, and is still 
fast increasing. 

Villages. Watertown, the seat of justice for the county, is 
a large and flourishing manufacturing village, situated at the 
falls of the Black river. 

Perhaps no village in the United States possesses more ex- 
tensive and easily available hydraulic privileges. 

The Black river here has a fall in the space of a mile, of 
eighty-eight feet, over seven artificial dams and five natural 
cascades, each of which can be used for manufacturing purposes. 

The volume of water is estimated at 10,000 cubic feet per 
second — being sufficient to keep in motion more than one million 
of spindles. But a small portion of this immense water power, 
is employed ; yet the manufactories of cotton and woollen 
goods, flour, leather, paper, machinery, pumps, sash, wagons, 
and carriages are extensive. 

The Jefferson County Institute, located here, is a highly 
flourishing and well conducted seminary. It has about 180 
pupils. There are sev r eral other schools of considerable repu- 
tation. 

The village has also a " Young Men's Association for Lite- 
rary Improvement," which is in a flourishing condition, and has 
accumulated a respectable library. Population 4200. 

Sacketts Harbor, in the town of Houndsfield, is an important 
village, having one of the best harbors on Lake Ontario. It has 
also some manufactories, propelled by water power, furnished 
by a canal, extending from the Black river, near Abater town, 
to the lake at this place. 

The United States government has erected extensive stone 
barracks here for troops. They occupy a lot of about forty 
acres, surrounded by a fence, on three sides, and the fourth 
open to the water. In the military burial ground, attached to 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 319 

the barracks, is a monument to the brave and lamented Gene- 
ral Pike, and other-, who fell on the northern frontier, during the 
late war with Great Britain. 

The government has also a ship yard, and ship houses, in 
one of which is the frame of a ship of the line, commenced 
during the war of 1812. 

During the war, Sacketts Harbor increased with great rapid- 
ity; but at its close, it experienced a declhe, from which, how- 
ever, it has revived, amid the general prosperity of the county. 
Population 2000. 

Browtiville, in the town of the same name, is a thriving man- 
ufacturing village, situated on the Black river, four miles below 
Watertown. Population 1000. 

Dexter, in the town of Brownville, is a growing and impor- 
tant village. Its harbor has been improved by the United States 
government, and it has now considerable commerce and some 
manufactures. Population 1000. 

Adams, in the town of Adams, is situated on both sides of 
Sandy creek, which here affords a good water power." It has a 
young ladies seminary, in a flourishing condition. Population 
800. 

Carthage, in the town of Wilna, is a village of considerable 
importance. A large quantity of iron is annually manufactured 
here. Population 600. 

In the same town is a natural bridge, twelve feet in width, 
and six feet above the water, extending over the Indian river. 
There is a small settlement near it. 

Cape Vincent, at the head of the St. Lawrence, is a lake port 
of some importance. 

Belleville and Ellisburgh, both in the town of Ellisburgh, are 
thriving villages. 



XXXVI. ALLEGANY COUNTY. 

Square Miles, about 1050. Population, 31,611. 

Organized, 1806. Valuation, 1845, $4,337,756. 




1. Angelica, 1805. 

2. Alfred, 1808. 

3. Caneadea, 1808. 

4. Ossian, 1808. 



TOWNS. 

5. Friendship, 1815. 

6. Centreville, 1819. 

7. Independence, 1821. 
S. Cuba, 1822. 



ALLEGANY COUNTY. 321 

9 Hume, 1822. 13. Grove, 1827. 

10 Alien, 1823. 19. Rushford, 1827. 

11. Scio, 1823. 20. Birdsall, 1829. 

12. Andover, 1S24. 21. Amity, 1830. 

13. Belfast, 1824. 22. Genesee, 1830 

14. Almond, 1825. 23. Clarksville, 1833 . 

15. Bolivar, 1825. 24. West Almond, 183o. 

16. New Hudson, 1825. 25. Granger, 1837. 

17. Burns, 1826. 26. Wirt, 1837. 

Rivers. N. Genesee River, e. Angelica Creek, i. Black, j. Cold. 

o. Canascraga. p. Little Genesee. 
Villages. Angelica. Friendship. Cuba. Rushford. 

Boundaries. North by Wyoming and Livingston; East by 
Steuben ; South by the state of Pennsylvania, and West by Cat- 
taraugus county. 

Surface. This county forms a portion of the elevated table 
land which extends through the southern tier of counties, but 
the deep channels, worn in the rocks which underlie the county, 
by the Genesee and other streams, and the long narrow valleys 
thus formed, give its otherwise level surface, a broken appear- 
ance. The height of the table land is from 1200 to 2000 feet 
above tide wate* . It declines gradually toward the north. 

Rivers. The principal streams are the Genesee river, An 
gelica, Black, Cold, Canascraga and Little Genesee creeks. 

Canal. The Genesee valley canal has been commenced, but 
is not yet completed. 

Railroad. The line of the New York and Erie Railroad has 
been laid out across its southern portion. 

Climate. The elevation of the surface produces a low tem- 
perature. The winters are long, and the snows heavy. The 
county is generally healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. This county lies wholly within the 
Chemung sandstone formation, though the tops of some of the 
highest hills are capped with the old red sandstone, and con- 
glomerate of the Catskill groups. 

Like the rest of this formation, it possesses few minerals of interest. There is, 
however, some bog iron ore and hydrate of manganese, associated with calca- 
reous tufa. At Cuba is a petroleum, or Seneca oii spring, which has attracted 
considerable attention. The shales of this vicinity are all bituminous. 

Soil and Vegetaele Productions. Much of the soil of the 
county is fertile, consisting of a clayey and sandy loam; but it is 
generally moist, and better adapted to grass than grain. The 
forests are quite dense, and the timber is of large size, consisting 
of oak, maple, beech, basswood/ ash, elm, hemlock, white and 
yellow pine. 



322 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Pursuits. The people are mainly devoted to Agricultural 
pursuits, particularly to raising cattle and sheep. The products 
of the dairy are quite large. 

Manufactures are principally confined to lumber, flour, fulled 
cloths, leather, oil and potash. 

Commerce. The county has little commerce. 

Staple Productions. Butter, cheese, oats, potatoes, wheat 
and wool. 

Schools. In 1846, there were in the county, 234 district 
schools, averaging seven months' instruction each, expending 
for tuition, $13,979, and attended by 13,946 children. The libra- 
ries contained 20,595 volumes. 

The number of private schools was eight, with 142 scholars; of academies 
two, with 229 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians and Unitarians. Total 
number of churches sixty, of clergymen, eighty-seven. 

History. Allegany county was taken from Genesee, April 
seventh, 1806. The two western tier of towns are within the 
Holland Land Company's purchase. The interest of that com- 
pany has been purchased by another, since formed. The rest 
of the county is comprised in the tract constituting the Morris 
estate. 

It was first settled by Philip Church, in 1804. In 1838 a 
remarkable tornado passed over the western section ; of a dense 
forest of 400 or 500 acres, scarcely a single tree escaped unin- 
jured. The wind for the space of twenty miles left traces of its 
devastation, yet, strange to tell, though several individuals were 
buried under the ruins of their houses, none lost their lives. 

In 1846, the towns of Eagle, Pike, Portage and Nunda, were 
taken from this county and added to Wyoming and Livingston 
counties. 

Villages. Angelica, located in the town of the same name, 
is the county seat. It is a pleasant village and has some man- 
ufactures. Population 1000. 

Cuba is a flourishing village. In this place is a spring, from 
the surface of which is collected the famed Seneca oil, so much 
used for rheumatism and sprains. It was highly valued by the 
Indians, and a square mile around the spring has been set apart 
for the Senecas. Population 800. 

Friendship is a village of considerable importance, on the 
proposed route of the Erie railroad. Population 800. 

Rushford is a thriving and important village. It is increasing 
in population quite raipidly. Population 1000. 



XXXVII. 

Square Miles, 627. 
Organized, 1806. 



BROOME COUNTY. 

Population, 25,808. 
Valuation, 1845, $2,087,167. 




7. Vestal, 1823. 

2. Union, 1731. 8. Conklin, 1824. 

3. Lisle, 1801. 9. Barker, 1831. 

4. Windsor, 1807. 10. Nanticoke, 1831. 

5. Sandford, 1821. 11. Triangle, 1831. 

6. Colesville, 1821. 

Mountains, e. Oquaga. f. Binghamton. g. Randolph. 

Rivers. CC. Chenango River. G. Susquehanna River. Q,. Tiough- 

nioga River, a. Nanticoke Creek, h. Otselic. * 
Villages. Binghamton. 



Boundaries. Bounded North by Cortland and Chenango; 
East by Delaware ; South by the state of Pennsylvania, and 
West by Tioga county. 

Surface. This county forms the eastern termination of the 
great table land of the southern tier of counties. Like the other 
portions of this elevated plain, its surface is much broken by nu- 
merous streams, which have worn deep valleys through the soft 
and perishable sandstones which underlie it. The general ele- 



324 



ITATE OF NEW YORK, 



vation of the surface is from 1400 to 1600 feet above tide water, 
and the valleys are depressed from 300 to 400 feet below this 
level. In the eastern part the Randolph, Binghamton and 
Oquaga mountains rise above the general level. The Susque- 
hanna sweeps around the base of the latter, making a very ex- 
tensive bend. 

Rivers. The Susquehanna, Chenango, Otselic, Tioughnioga 
and west branch of the Delaware, are the principal rivers of the 
county. 

Canal. The Chenango canal enters the county with the 
Chenango river, and terminates at Binghamton. 

Railroad. The route of the New York and Erie railroad has 
been laid out through the county. 

Climate. The climate is salubrious, but from the great ele- 
vation of the county, necessarily cool. Large bodies of snow 
fall during the winter, and continue late in the 'spring. 

Geology and Minerals. The eastern and southern parts of 
the county belong to the Catskill group, and are composed prin- 
cipally of the old red s i idstone a d conglomerate — the western 
is comprised in the Chemung group, and consists mostly o[grey 
sandstone and slaie. 

Specimens of garnet, tourmaline, agate, porphyry, jasper, &c, have been col- 
lected from the pebbles on the banks of the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers. 
There are several sulphur and one or two brine springs. 

Soil and Vegetaele Productions. The broken character of 
the soil renders the county generally better adapted to grazing 
than to the culture of grain. In the valleys of the streams, oats 
and corn thrive well, and wheat is raised to some extent. The 
principal timber trees are the white and pitch pine, oak, beech, 
maple and hickory. Much of the surface of the county is yet 
covered with wood. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the chief pursuit of the inhabitants. 
Much attention is paid to the products of the dairy. Some grain 
is also raised, and summer crops thrive well. 

Manufactures. The water power of its many streams fur- 
nishes abundant facilities for manufacturing purposes, which 
the people of this county are beginning to improve. The New 
York and Erie railroad will, when opened, give a new impetus 
to its manufacturing interests, by affording increased facilities 
for transportation. 

Lumber and flour, fulled cloths and leather, constitute the 
chief articles of manufacture. 

Staple Productions. Butter, oats, corn and potatoes. 

Schools. There are in the county 170 district schools, which 
in 1846, averaged seven months instruction each. $8676 was 



BROOME COUNTY. 325 

P iid for tuition ; and the school libraries contained 13,800 vol- 
umes. The number of children taught was 8285. 

There are sixteen select schools, attended by 166 pupils ; and one academy 
with 212 students. 

Religious Denominations. Presbyterians, Baptists, Congre- 
gationalism, Episcopalians, Universalists and Roman Catholics. 
There are forty-six churches, and sixty-one ministers, of all de- 
nominations, in the county. 

History. During Sullivan's campaign, in 1779, he encamped 
at or near the present site of Binghamton, in this county, for 
several days, awaiting the arrival of the detachment under the 
command of General James Clinton. No settlement was made 
in the county, however, till 1787, when Captain Joseph Leonard 
removed here from Wyoming, Pennsylvania. He was soon 
followed by Colonel William Rowe, who emigrated from Con- 
necticut. 

The land in the southern part of the county had been granted 
a few years previous! ,-, to Mr. Bingham, an eminent banker of 
Philadelphia, associated with whom was a Mr. Cox ; and that 
now composing the northern towns of the county, was purcha- 
sed in 1786, or perhaps earlier, by a company from Massachu- 
setts. The amount of land belonging to this company was 
230,000 acres. Having obtained a grant from the Massachu- 
setts legislature, (this being a portion of the ten townships ceded 
to Massachusetts by New York,) they purchased the title from 
the Indians, by a treaty, concluded at the Forks of the Che- 
nango. 

By the enterprise and good management of General Whitney, 
the agent of Mr. Bingham, the settlements flourished and in- 
creased rapidly in population. In 1806, Broome county was set 
otffrom Tioga, as a separate county, and named in honor of 
John Broome, at that time Lieutenant Governor of the state. 

A large proportion of the emigrants w T ere from New England, 
and probably a majority from Connecticut. 

Villages. Binghamton, formerly Chenango Point, is the 
shire town of the county. It is rapidly increasing in business, 
and has become already an important inland town. It is much 
engaged in manufactures, and furnishes a ready market for the 
produce of the surrounding country, which is mostly shipped by 
canal to the Hudson, and by the Susquehanna to Philadelphia. 

The New York and Erie railroad will soon be opened to this 
place, and contribute still farther to its prosperity. Toll bridges 
constructed of wood, cross the Chenango and Susquehanna 
rivers, from this village. Population, nearly 4000. 

Chenango Forks, Windsor and Harpersville are villages of 
some importance. 
15 



XXXVIIL 

Square miles, 582. 
Organized, 1806. 



MADISON COUNTY. 

Population, 40,987. 
Valuation, 1845, $6,490,881, 




1. Brookfield, 1795. 

2. Cazenovia. 1795. 

3. De Ruyter, 1798. 

4. Hamilton, 1801. 

5. Sullivan, 1803. 

6. Eaton, 1807. 

7. Lebanon, 1807. 
Rivers, &rc. CC. Chenango river 

a. Cowasalon. b. Canaseraga. 
Lakes. Z. Oneida, e. Cazenovia, or Linklaen. 
Marshes, f. Great Swamp. 
Universities. Madison University. 
Villages. Morrisville. Hamilton. Cazenovia. Canastota 

tenango. 



TOWNS. 

8. Madison, 1S07. 

9. Nelson, 1807. 

10. Smithfield, 1807. 

11. Lenox, 1809. 

12. Georgetown, 1815. 

13. Fenner, 1823. 

14. Stockbridge, 1839. 
II. Unadilla. k. Oriskany Creek, 
d. Chittenango. j. Oneida. 



Chit- 



Boundaries. North by Oneida Lake; East by Oneida and 
Otsego counties; South by Chenango county, and West by 
Onondaga and Cortland counties. 



MADtSOtt COUNTS. 32t 

Surface. Diversified, and generally hilly, except where the 
great swamp extends for a distance of eight or ten miles, along 
the borders of Oneida Lake. 

The elevated ridge or watershed, which divides the waters of 
the Susquehanna from those flowing north, crosses this county 
near its centre. The hills are, however, generally rounded, 
and susceptible of cultivation. This ridge is about 1500 feet 
above tide water. 

Rivers. On the south, the county is drained by the Chenan- 
go, Otselic and Unadilla rivers. On the north by the Oriskany, 
Oneida, Cowasalon, Chittenango, and Canaseraga creeks. 
The Erie and Chenango canals pass through the county. 

Lakes. Oneida Lake forms the northern boundary of the 
county; Cazenovia, or Linklaen lake, called by the natives 
Haugena, is a beautiful sheet of water, four miles long by 
one broad, surrounded by a fine waving country. There are 
several small ponds on the dividing ridge. 

Climate. Healthful, but cool, and very subject to untimely 
frosts. 

Geology and Minerals. Slate is the basis rock of the coun- 
ty. It is, however, overlaid for the most part with limestone, of 
that formation denominated the Onondaga salt group. Along 
the Oneida Lake, sandstone appears, and is found in bould- 
ers throughout the county. Fresh water limestone, containing 
fresh water shells, is found near the great swamp. 

Argillaceous iron ore occurs in large quantities, in Lenox, and is used for 
castings ; water lime and gypsum are abundant in Sullivan and Lenox , sulphur 
and brine springs are found in the same towns, and in the former is a magnesian 
spring, and several others so highly charged with carbonate of lime as to form 
incrustations on whatever is cast into them, Marl exists in large quantities, in 
the northern part of the county. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally 
fertile ; in the valleys highly so : adapted to grain in the north, 
and to grazing in the south. 

The timber is similar to that of the adjacent counties, consisting principally of 
hemlock, maple and beech. The sugar maple is abundant, and yields large quan- 
tities of sugar. In the great swamp, cedar, tamarack, &c. are the principal trees, 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the inhabit- 
ants, whose attention is divided between the culture of grain 
and the rearing of stock. 

Hops, oats, corn and barley, are more largely cultivated than 
wheat. 

Manufactures are considerably extensive, for which the fine 
water power of the Chittenango and other streams, furnishes 
ample facilities. Flour, lumber, woollen goods, distilled liquors, 
leather, iron and potash, are the principal articles manufactured, 

The commerce- of the county is confined to the transportation 



B28 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

of its produce and manufactures, upon the Erie and Chenango 
canals. 

Staple Productions. Hops, cheese, butter, wool, oats, sugar 
and potash. 

Schools* There are in the county 234 district school- houses* 
The schools were taught in 1846 an average period of eight 
months ; 13,523 children received instruction at an expense of 
$15,721. There were 26,456 volumes in the district libraries. 

There were, also, in the county, forty-three private schools, with 1072 pupils, 
and four academies, with 198 pupils. There irs one University in the county, 
chartered in 1846, and called Madison University. It has in all its departments 
209 students. 

Religious Denomin TioNs. Baptists, Methodists, Congrega* 
tionaiists, Presbyterians, Universalists, Friends, Dutch Reform- 
ed, and Episcopalians. 

There are eighty-one churches, and ninety-four clergymen, 
of all denominations, in the county. 

History. Madison county originally formed a part of Che- 
nango county, from which it was taken in 1806. The first set- 
tlement in the county was made at the village of Eaton, in the 
town of the same name, by Mr. Joseph Morse, in 1790. 

In 1793, Colonel John Linklaen, agent for a company in Hol- 
land, settled in Cazenovia. This Holland Company owned a 
large portion of the county, and their agent sold most of it to 
New England settlers. The growth of the county was not 
rapid until the completion of the Erie and Chenango canals 
by which a market was opened for its produce. 

Villages. Morrisville, in the town of Eaton, is the seat of 
justice for the county. It is situated on the Cherry Valley turn- 
pike. It was settled principally by emigrants from Connecticut, 
and has some manufactories. Population, about 800. 

Eaton, another village in the same town, has a number of 
manufactories. Population, about 700. 

Cazenovia village* in the town of the same name, is pleasantly 
situated on the south-eastern margin of Linklaen lake. It is 
well laid out, and has some manufactures and considerable 
trade. The Oneida Conference Seminary, located here, is 
under the direction of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is a 
flourishing and well conducted institution. Here is also a high 
school and a seminary for young ladies. The village contains 
nearly 2000 inhabitants. 

Hamilton village, in the town of the same name, is principally 
rioted as the seat of Madison University, formerly the Hamilton 
Literary and Theological Institution. This institution was in- 
corporated in 1819, and commenced operations in 1820. It 
received a charter as an University in 1846. It is well endow- 



MADISON COUNTY. 



*329 



ed, has an able corps of professors, and is in a highly prosper- 
ous condition. 

There is also an academy of some distinction, in the village. 
Population, about 1600. 

Chittenango, in the town of Sullivan, is largely engaged in 
the manufacture of water-lime, or hydraulic cement. It has 
also other manufactures. There is a sulphur spring of some 
note, one mile south of the village. It has also other springs, 
charged with carbonate of lime, and celebrated for their petri- 
fying quality. 

In this village is an academy, under the patronage of the 
Dutch Reformed Church. Population, 1000. 

Canastota, in the town of Lenox, is a thriving and busy vil- 
lage, on the canal and railroad. It derives its name from the 
Indian appellation, given to a cluster of pines, which united their 
branches over the creek, which passes through the village. In 
this village is a high school of some celebrity. Population, 
about 1300. 

De Ruyler is a small but pleasant village, in the town of the 
same name. Here is located the " De Ruyter Institute," a 
flourishing literary institution, under the direction of the Sev- 
enth Day Baptists. Population, 500. 

Madison, in the town of the same name, is a thriving village. 
Population, 600. 

ClockvilF, in the town of Lenox, and Bridgeport, in the 
town of Sullivan, are villages of some importance. 



XXXIX. CATTARAUGUS COUNTY. 



Square miles, 1232. 
Organized, 1808. 



Population, 30,369. 
Valuation, 1845, $3,035,315. 




1. Olean, 1S08. 

2. Farmersville, 1812. 

3. Franklinville, 1812. 

4. Perrysburgh, 1814. 

5. Great Valley, 1818. 

6. Little Valley, 1818. 

7. Ellicottville, 1820. 

8. Yorkshire, 1820. 

9. Freedom, 1820. 

10. Hinsdale, 1820. 

11. Connewango, 1823. 

12. Otto, 1823. 

13. Ashford, 1824. 

14. Randolph, 1826. 



15. Machias, 1S27. 

16. Napoli, 1828. 

17. Lyndon, 1S29. 

18. New Albion, 1830. 

19. Mansfield, 1830. 

20. Burton, 1831. 

21. Leon, 1832. 

22. Davton, 1835. 

23. Persia, 1835. 

24. Cold Spring, 1837. 

25. Humphrey, 1837. 

26. Portville, 1838. 

27. Carrollton,l842. 

28. Rice, 1846. 






CATTARAUGUS COUNTY. 331 

Rivera. K. Allegany, s. Connewango Creek, b. Oil. c. Great 
Valley, e. Cold Spring, f. Cattaraugus, g. South Branch. 
n. Ischua. 

Lakes. 1. Lime. m. Ischua Creek Reservoir. 
Villages. Ellicottville. Olean. Hinsdale. Lodi. 

Boundaries. North by the counties of Erie and Wyoming; 
East by Allegany county; South by the state of Pennsylvania, 
and West by Chautauque county. 

Surface. The surface of the county is elevated and much 
broken. The high grounds in its centre divide the waters of 
the Allegany from those of the Chautauque Creek. The valley 
of the Allegany river is from one to two miles in breadth, and 
has a depression of 700 or S00 feet below the general surface of 
the county. North of this river, the land rises for fifteen or 
twenty miles, and attains the summit of the very irregular ridge 
which commences at Perrysburgh, on the north-west, and ter- 
minates at Farmersville, on the east. 

Rivers. The Allegany river, Cattaraugus, Oil, Great Val- 
ley, Cold Spring, South Branch, Connewango and Ischua 
creeks, are the principal streams of the county. 

Lakes. Its lakes are Lime lake and Ischua creek reservoir. 

Railroads. The line of the New York and Erie railroad 
'crosses the southern part of the county. 

Climate. From the elevation of the surface, the climate is 
cold but healthful. 

Geology and Mineralogy. This county is wholly within the 
Erie group. In the northern part, the Ludlowville slate is the 
surface rock, with occasional alternations of limestone. In the 
central and southern portions, the Chemung sandstone predom- 
inates. On the highest points in the county, the conglomerate 
of the Catskill group is occasionally found. 

The Rock City, situated seven miles from Ellicottville, and 
near the line between Great and Little valley, is a remarkable 
natural curiosity. 

The rock here is conglomerate, and by the removal and disin- 
tegration of portions of it, large masses from fifteen to thirty-five 
feet high, have been lefi standing isolated, and are separated by 
alleys and passages of various widths. The whole area covered 
by these blocks is over one hundred acres. The scene is in the 
highest degree imposing, and impresses upon the beholder the 
conviction that the name has not been improperly chosen. 

The minerals are not numerous ; the most valuable are, peat, marl, bog iron 
ore and manganese. There are also some saline and sulphur springs ; petroleum 
or mineral oil, similar to the Seneca oil, found in Cuba. Allegany county, has been 
discovered at Freedom. 



332 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is well adapted 
to grazing. Grain thrives better in the northern section than 
in the southern. 

Probably no region of equal extent in the United States has 
produced more valuable timber. The forest trees consist chiefly 
of pine, oak, hickory, ash, elm, linden, chestnut, walnut, beech, 
maple and hemlock. The maple is abundant, and affords large 
quantities of sugar. 

Pursuits. The people of this county are an agricultural 
community, paying more attention however, to the productions 
of the dairy, and the rearing of cattle, than to the raising of 
grain. 

Manufactures. These are in their infancy, and chiefly con- 
fined to lumber, flour, fulled cloths, and leather. 

The manufacture of lumber is prosecuted to a greater extent 
than in any other county in the state, 200 million feet being 
exported from the county annually. 

Commerce. The Allegany is navigable for arks and small 
steamboats, at high water, to Olean; large quantities of lumber 
are exported from this county to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, by 
this channel. 

Its staples are lumber, potatoes, oats, butter and cheese. 

Schools. The county had, in 1846, 234 district schools, which 
were in session an average period of six months each. The 
number of children taught was 11,914; the amount paid for 
tuition $10,870, and the number of volumes in the district libra- 
ries, 16,087. 

There were twelve select schools, with 264 scholars. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyte- 
rians, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, and Unitarians. The 
number of churches of all denominations, is thirty ; of clergymen, 
sixty-seven. 

History. This county belonged originally to the Holland 
Land Company's purchase, and the titles of most of the inhabit- 
ants are derived from that Company. The first settlement in 
the county was made early in the present century, at Olean, by 
Major Hoops, of Albany, who named it after General Hamilton, 
" Hamilton on the Allegany." 

The next settlement was in the present town of Persia, in 
1813. The growth of the county has been quite rapid. Corn- 
planter and Big Kettle or Ganoth-jowaneh,two of the most dis- 
tinguished of the Seneca chiefs, resided in this county. 

A tract along the Allegany river, extending through the 
towns of Cold Spring, Little Valley, Great Valley and Carroll- 
ton, is still held as a reservation by the Indians. 



CATTARAUGUS COUNTY. 333 

The Society of Friends in Philadelphia, have taken great 
pains to instruct the Indians of this county, in the arts of civili- 
zation, sending instructors among them, and establishing settle- 
ments in the vicinity. Some of the Indians are now quite 
wealthy, owning well stocked farms, and large saw mills. 

Villages. Ellicottville, the county seat, is situated in the 
town of the same name. It was incorporated in 1837, and con- 
tains besides the county buildings two extensive land offices. 
The scenery around the village is beautiful. The town receiv- 
ed its name from Joseph Ellicott, late principal agent of the 
Holland Land Company. Population, 800. 

Lo'ii is a thriving manufacturing village on Cattaraugus 
creek, in the towns of Persia and Collins, in Cattaraugus and 
Erie counties. The water power is abundant, and only in part 
occupied. Population, 900. 

At Hinsdale, is to be the junction of the New York and Erie 
railroad, and the Genesee Valley canal. The state is construct- 
ing a large basin here. An incorporated academy is located in 
this village. Population, 600. 

Glean is advantageously situated on the north side of the Al- 
legany river, in the town of the same name. Large quantities 
of lumber and other produce are annually exported from this 
place. It is to be the terminus of the Genesee Valley canal. 
Population, 500. 

Franklinville, in the town of the same name, is a thriving 
village, and has some manufactories. Population, 600. 

Cadiz, in the same town, is a village of some importance. 



15* 



XL. CHAUTAUaUE COUNTY. 

Square Miles, 1017. Population, 46,548. 

Organized, 1808. "Valuation, 1845, $4,586,982. 




1. Chautauque, 1804. 

2. Pomfret, 1808. 

3. Ellicott, 1812. 

4. Gerry, 1812. 

5. Hanover, 1812. 

6. Portland, 1813. 

7. Harmony, 1816. 

8. Ripley, 1817. 

9. Clymer, 1821. 

10. Ellery, 1821. 

11. Stockton, 1821. 

12. Busti, 1823. 



13. Villenova, 1823. 

14. Mina, 1824. 

15. Ellington, 1825. 

16. Carroll, 1825. 

17. Sheridan, 1827. 

18. French Creek, 1829. 

19. Charlotte, 1829. 

20. Westfield, 1829. 

21. Cherry Creek, 1829. 

22. Arkwright, 1829. 

23. Poland, 1832. 

24. Sherman, 1832. 



CHAUTATJQ.UE COUNTY. 335 

Rivers, a. Twenty Mile Creek, b. Chautauque. c. Canadawa. d. 

Walnut, e. Silver, f. CattaraHgus. g Chautauque Outlet, k 

Casadaga Creek, j. French. k. Connewango. 
Lakes. L. Erie. o. Chautauque. p. Casadaga. q. Bear. r. Finley. 
Villages. Mayville. Jamestown. Westfield. Dunkirk. Fre- 

donia. Fayette. Van Buren. 

Boundaries. North by Lake Erie and Erie county ; East by 
Cattaraugus county ; South and West by Pennsylvania. 

Surface. The surface is hilly and elevated. Through its 
central portion, at a distance of from three to six miles" from 
Lake Erie, and nearly parallel with it, runs the dividing ridge 
which separates the waters of the lakes from those discharging 
into the Gulf of Mexico. This ridge is elevated from 800 to 
1400 feet above tide water. From this altitude it declines to the 
northwest, toward the lake, and on the southeast toward the 
Connewango creek and the Allegany river. The land lying on 
Lake Erie is a rich and fertile alluvium. The hills throughout 
the county are nowhere precipitous, but capable of cultivation 
to their summits. 

Rivers and Creeks. The principal streams are the Conne- 
wango creek, which drains the eastern and southeastern por- 
tions of the county, and uniting with the waters of the Chau- 
tauque outlet, in Poland, forms the Connewango river ; Catta- 
raugus creek, which separates this county from Erie ; Silver, 
Walnut, Canadawa, Chautauque, Twenty Mile, North and 
South branches of French creek, Great and Little Broken 
Straw and Casadaga creeks. Most of these streams furnish 
valuable mill privileges. 

Lakes. Lake Erie forms the northwestern boundary of the 
county. Chautauque lake, which gives its name to the county, 
was so called by the Indians from its form ; the Indian name 
Chautauqua signifying a pack tied in the middle. 

It is a beautiful sheet of water, eighteen miles long, and from 
one to five in width. It is 726 feet above Lake Erie, and 1291 
above tide water. Its waters are remarkable for their clear- 
ness and purity, and are abundantly stocked with fish. Two 
steamers ply upon it. It is probably the highest body of water 
in the world, navigated by steam. 

The Casadaga lakes, three in number, each about a mile in 
extent ; Bear lake, and Finley's lake, are the only other lakes in 
the county. 

Railroads. The New York and Erie Railroad will pass 
through this county, and terminate at Dunkirk. Several other 
railroads have been chartered, but have not been constructed. 



336 STATE OP NEW YORK, 

Climate. The county has a high reputation for the salu- 
brity of its climate. Fruits thrive well here, and attain great 
perfection both of size and flavor. From the elevation of its 
surface, the winters are long, but the cold is somewhat mode- 
rated by the proximity of the lake. 

Geology and Minerals. This county belongs entirely to the 
Chemung sandstone group. The rocks of the county consist of 
alternate layers of sandstone and slaty rocks. In Harmony, 
Carroll, and some other sections, this sandstone furnishes a fine 
building material. The crest of the dividing ridge is occasion- 
ally crowned with the conglomerate of the Catskill group. 

Bog iron ore has been found in several localities, but in no great quantity. 
Shell marl is abundant in the vicinity of the Casadaga lakes. Alum and copperas 
are spontaneously formed in the town of Sheridan. 

Mineral Springs-. Sulphur springs are quite numerous in the neighborhood of 
Lake Erie. One in Mina is considerably visited. The inflammable springs, or 
those containing carburetted hydrogen gas, are worthy of notice. There are a 
number of these along the shores of Lake Erie. The village of Fredonia, in the 
town of Pomfret, is lighted by this natural gas. It also furnishes material for the 
light house at Barcelona, and might be employed in the same way at numerous 
other points along the shores of the lake. It is entirely free from any unpleasant 
odor. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally 
very good. The section on the shores of Lake Erie, extending 
back for a distance of three or four miles, is a rich alluvium, 
highly fertile, and well adapted to grains and fruit. The up- 
lands are better fitted for grass, and yield abundant crops. 

The timber of the county is oak, maple, beech, black walnut, 
butternut, hickory, with some pine and hemlock. 

On Walnut creek, about a mile from its mouth, formerly stood a black walnut 
tree, 150 feet in height, thirty-six feet in circumference at its base, and tapering 
regularly eighty feet, to the first limb. This enormous tree was blown down in 
1822. It was supposed to be more than 500 years old. The butt, nine feet in 
length was excavated, and used for a grocery, at Buffalo. When the Erie canal 
was opened, it was transported to New York and exhibited to thousands. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the 
inhabitants. More attention is paid to the rearing of stock and 
the produce of the dairy, than to the culture of grain. The 
principal grains cultivated are corn, oats, wheat, and some 
barley and buckwheat. Large quantities of flax and potatoes, 
are also raised. In the latter crop it occupied a high rank 
among the counties of the state. 

Manufactures. The county is not very largely engaged in 
manufactures. Flour, lumber, leather and iron, are the princi- 
pal articles, and their entire value is between $700,000 and 
$800,000. 

Commerce. The county has some commerce. Van Buren, 
Dunkirk, Barcelona and Portland are its principal harbors. 



CHAUTAUCiUE COUNTY. 337 

Staple Productions. Butter, cheese, wool, pork, potatoes, 
flax, corn and oats. 

Schools. There are in the county 308 public schools. In 
1846, schools were taught an average period of seven months— 
18,376 children received instruction, at a cost of $17,581. The 
district libraries contained 30,010 volumes. 

There are in the county thirty-one unincorporated schools, with 562 pupils ; 
and five academies, attended by 326 students. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Congrega- 
tionalists, Presbyterians, Unitarians, Episcopalians, Universal- 
ists and Friends. There are seventy-three churches, and 106 
clergymen, of all denominations. 

History. Tradition relates that the French early established 
a post at Portland, in this county ; but at what time is not cer- 
tainly known. The only Indian settlement within the limits of 
the county, when first explored, was in the present town of 
Carroll, on the Connewango creek. 

In 1782, a party, consisting of about S00 British and Indians, 
with a train of artillery and other munitions of war, spent the 
months of June and July around Chautauque lake, constructing 
canoes, and making other preparations to descend the Allegany 
liver and attack Fort Pitt, now Pittsburgh. For this purpose 
they obstructed the channel of the Chautauque outlet, in order 
to raise the waters of the lake. 

The first purchase of lands made in this county, for the pur- 
pose of settlement, was in 1801, in the town of Ripley, by Gen. 
John McMahan. No settlement was effected, however, till 
1802, when Col. James McMahan, brother of the general, loca- 
ted himself in the town of Westfield. The same year Edward 
McHenry settled in the same neighborhood. 

In 1796 one Amos Sottle had located in Hanover, but re- 
moved in 1800 from the county, and did not return for several 
years. John McHenry, born in 1802, was the first child of white 
parents born in the county. 

The privations of the early settlers were very great. Often 
they were compelled to subsist upon the precarious products of 
the chase, for months, without tasting bread or other provisions. 

In 1304, the first town was constituted, and embraced the 
whole of the present county. In 1808 the county was provis- 
ionally organized ; but not having a sufficient number of inhabit- 
ants to entitle it to a separate organization, it remained attached 
to Genesee county till 1811. 

The whole of this county was included in the Holland Land 
Company's purchase, and from that company and its successors, 
the titles to the property were derived. 



338 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

During the war of IS 12, the lake coast was several times in- 
vaded by small parties of the enemy, who, however, never ac- 
complished any feats of valor in the county. A party of British 
landed at Dunkirk, in 1813, to deposite some property which 
they had plundered from the coast above. Twelve of the boat's 
crew deserted, immediately on landing, leaving only the officer 
who commanded the boat, and a single sailor, whom the militia 
soon compelled to return to their vessel. 

In 1814, an armed schooner pursued some lake boats into 
Canadawa creek, and attempted to capture them, but was re- 
pulsed by the militia. About 200 of the Chautauque militia 
were called out by Governor Tompkins, for the defence of Buf- 
falo ; undisciplined and unaccustomed to withstand regular 
troops, they fled early in the action, but were pursued, and a 
number killed and scalped by the Indians. Ten or twelve of the 
citizens of the county fell in this retreat, and others were se- 
verely wounded. After the close of the war, the growth of the 
county was extraordinarily rapid. 

In 1835 the Holland Land Company sold out the lands, to- 
gether with the outstanding and expired contracts, to Trum- 
bull, Carey and others of Batavia. They had made a like sale 
of their lands in Genesee county, and the new company had 
compelled such of the settlers as were unable to complete the 
payments on their farms, to pay an additional sum per acre, as 
the price of forbearance. This exaction was known as the 
Genesee tariff. It soon became generally understood, that the 
principles of this tariff were to be applied to Chautauque county. 
Meetings were held by the citizens who felt themselves ag- 
grieved, and definite information demanded from the company, 
as to their intentions. 

After some delay the company announced their determination 
to exact the principal and compound interest from all who 
would immediately pay for their lands, and to require 25 per 
cent, advance l'rom those who asked for an extension of time in 
payment. 

These exactions, at this period, would have deprived many of 
the settlers of their farms, and reduced them to ruin. 

Upon learning the demands of the company, resolutions were 
passed by the citizens, denouncing their course and declaring 
their determination not to submit to it. On the sixth of Febru- 
ary, 1836, a mass of people, mostly from the interior towns, 
assembled at Barnhart's inn, about two miles from Mayville, 
about four o'clock in the afternoon, armed with axes, crow- 
bars, &c. ; and having organized, proceeded to Mayville, about 
eight o'clock in the evening. They attacked the office of the 
Land Company, demolished the wood building, and finally 



CHAUTAUQUE COUNTY. 339 

forced open the stone vault, containing the company's books 
and papers, carried them to Barnhart's, and burned (hem in 
the highway. 

From this time, till 1838, all intercourse between the Land 
Company and the settlers ceased. In that year a sale was ef- 
fected of the property, to Messrs. Duer, Morrison and Seward, 
(late governor of the state,) and by them an office was opened 
in Westfield, and the outstanding claims adjusted to the satis- 
faction of all parties. 

Villages. Mayville, the county seat, is a nourishing village, 
in the town of Chautauque. It was incorporated in 1830. It is 
beautifully situated, commanding a fine view of the lake. Its 
public buildings are neat and substantial. 

The Mayville academy w T as incorporated in 1834, and is a 
well conducted institution. A steamboat plies between this vil- 
lage and Jamestown, daily, during the summer. Population 500. 

Jamestown, situated on the outlet of Chautauque lake, in the 
town of Ellicott, is the largest village in the county. It has a 
fine hydraulic power, which is extensively used in manufac- 
turing. Lumber, wooden ware, sash, lath, flour, cloth, &c, 
are manufactured here. The Jamestown academy was incor- 
ported in 1836, and is in a prosperous condition. This village 
was incorporated in 1827. Population 1700. 

Fredonia is a beautiful village, in the town of Pomfret, four 
miles from Lake Erie. It has some trade, but is chiefly remark- 
able for its inflammable spring, which furnishes a sufficient 
quantity of gas to light the village brilliantly. It was incorpo- 
rated in 1829. The academy here, established in 1824, was the 
first in the county, and sustains a high reputation. Popula- 
tion 1000. 

Westfield, in the town of the same name, incorporated in 
1833, is situated on Chautauque creek, one and a half miles 
from Lake Erie. It is a thriving, busy village, and has a fine 
academy, incorporated in 1837. Population 1000. 

Dunkirk, on Lake Erie, in the town of Pomfret, has been 
designated as the western terminus of the New York and 
Erie railroad. It is a village of some business. The United 
States government have expended about $80,000 m the im- 
provement of its harbor, which is now commodious for vessels 
drawing eight or nine feet water. It is open usually somewhat 
earlier than that of Buffalo. Population 1000. 

Fayette, at the mouth of Silver creek, in the town of Hano- 
ver, has a good steamboat landing, and some trade. Pop. 700. 

Portland has a good harbor. Barcelona has a light house, 
illuminated with the gas evolved from an inflammable spring 
near it. 



XLI. CORTLAND COUNTY 



Square Miles, 500. 
Organized, 1808. 



Population, 25,087. 
Valuation, 1845, $2,318,208. 







1. Homer, 1794. 

2. Solon, 1798. 

3. Virgil, 1804. 

4. Cincinnatus, 1804. 

5. Preble, 1808. 

6. Truxton, 1808. 

7. Scott, 1815. 



TOWNS. 

8. Freetown, 1818. 

9. Marathon, 1818. 

10. Willett, 1818. 

11. Cortlandville, 1829. 

12. Hartford, 1845. 

13. Lapeer, 1845. 



Rivers. Q. Tioughnioga. a. Cold Creek, h. Otselio. 
Villages. Cortland. Homer. 



Boundaries. North by Onondaga county ; East by Madison 
and Chenango; South by Broome and Tioga; and West by 
Tompkins and Cayuga counties. 

The surface is elevated, and gently sloping to the south, 



CORTLAND COUNTY. 341 

forming- a part of the high central section of the state. Its 
northern boundary lies on the watershed, or dividing ridge be- 
tween the waters flowing into Lake Ontario, and the tributa- 
ries of the Susquehanna river. The broad valleys ol" the 
streams, and the rounded and fertile hills, give the surface an 
agreeably diversified aspect. 

Rivers. The Tioughnioga, rising near its northern boundary, 
with its tributaries, waters nearly the whole county. The Ot- 
selic, its main branch, drains the southeastern section. Both 
streams are navigable for small boats, when swollen by the 
heavy rains of spring and autumn. 

Climate. Healthy and equable. From the elevation of its 
surface, the winters are long and much snow falls. 

Geology and Minerals. Slate is the basis rock of the county. 
On the north this is covered with Onondaga limestone, or the 
limestone and slate of the Helderberg series. On the south 
and east the Chemung sandstone and shale are the surface 
rocks. 

The minerals of the county are salt, bog iron ore, and marl. There are also 

some sulphuretted hydrogen springs. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally a 
gravelly loam, intermingled with the disintegrated lime and 
slate, and is quite fertile, yielding good crops of grass and grain. 
The timber is chiefly oak, maple, beech, basswood, butternut, 
elm, and chestnut. Groves of pine and hemlock are found in 
the southern part of the county. 

Purslits. Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the inhab- 
itants. Much attention is paid to the rearing of cattle ; consid- 
erable quantities of grain are also raised. The products of the 
dairy are large. 

Manufactures are increasing in impor lance in the county. 
The principal articles are flour, lumber, cotton and woollen 
goods, leather and potash. 

Staple Productions. Butter, cheese, wool, oats, corn, and 
flax. Considerable quantities of wheat, barley, buckwheat, po- 
tatoes, and pork are also produced. 

Schools. The whole number of district schools in the county 
is 180. In 1S46, these were taught, on an average, seven 
months, and 9,273 children received instruction during the year 
at an expense of $9470. The district school libraries contained 
15,197 volumes. 

There are in the county twenty-eight private schools, with 443 pupils, and two 
academies with 233 scholars. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists, and Episcopalians. There are in the 



342 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

county forty-five churches, and fifty-four clergymen of all de- 
nominations. 

History. Cortland county comprises a portion of the Military 
Tract, or lands given by the state of New York to her Revolu- 
tionary soldiers. It was principally settled by emigrants from 
the eastern states, who removed here after the 11 evolution. 
Homer, the oldest town, was organized in 1794. 

The county received its name from General Peter Van Cort- 
landt, who was a large landholder here. It was taken from 
Onondaga in 1808. 

Villages. Cortland, in the town of Cortlandville, is the 
largest village, and the seat of justice for the county. It is 
pleasantly situated on the north branch of the Tioughnioga, and 
has a number of fine public buildings. The Cortland female 
seminary is a flourishing institution. 

The private residences of the citizens are neat, and many of 
them elegant. Population 1500. 

Homer, in the town of the same name, is a beautiful and 
thriving village on the Tioughnioga. It has an old and flour- 
ishing academy of high reputation, with six teachers, and de- 
partments for both sexes. In 1846, a large and enthusiastic 
meeting of its alumni and friends was held, attended with ap- 
propriate exercises. 

The village is one of the most beautiful in central New York. 
It is considerably engaged in manufactures. The churches, 
four in number, and the academy, occupy a public square six 
acres in extent. Population 1400. 

Truxton and Virgil, in the towns of the same names, are 
villages of some importance. The former has some manufac- 
tures. 



XLII. FRANKLIN COUNTY. 



Square miles, 1557. 
Organized, 1808. 



Population, 18,692. 
Valuation, 1845, $1,584,970. 




344 



STATE OF NEW YORK. 



TOWNS. 

1. Malone, 1805. 9. Duane, 1S28. 

2. Chateaugay, 1805. 10. Westville, 1829. 

3. Constable, 1807. 11. Belmont, 1833. 

4. Dickinson, 1803. 12. Bombay, 1S33. 

5. Bangor, 1812. 13. Franklin, 1838. 

6. Fort Covington, 1813. 14. Burke, 1843. 

7. Moira, 1827. 15. Harrietstown, 1843. 

8. Brandon, 1S28. 

Mountains. GG. Chateaugay. g. Seward, h. Adirondack. 
Rivers, a. Deer. b. Salmon, c. Trout, d. Chateaugay. e. St. 

Regis, f. Racket, j. Saranac. 
Lakes, i. Upper Saranac. 1. Lower Saranac. k. Topper. 
Forts. Covington. 
Villages. Malone. Fort Covington. 

Boundaries. North by Canada East ; East by Clinton and 
Essex counties; south by Essex and Hamilton counties, and 
West by St. Lawrence county. 

Surface. Elevated and mountainous, in the southern and 
southeastern sections, where the Chateaugay range crosses it ; 
elsewhere it is undulating or level. Mount Seward, and the 
Adirondack group, are peaks of this range. Mount Seward has 
never been ascended, but its height is computed at about 5000 
feet. 

Numerous lakes are formed in the valleys of the mountain 
ranges. 

Rivers. The principal rivers are Salmon, Trout, Chateau- 
gay, St. Regis, Deer, Racket, and Saranac. 

Lakes. Upper and Lower Saranac, Tupper, and numerous 
others of less importance. 

Climate. The high latitude, and elevated surface of this 
county render the climate rigorous. The winters are long and 
severe. 

Geology and Minerals. The mountainous district is prin- 
cipally of the primitive formation, and is composed of hypers- 
thene, granite and gneiss. The two latter, indeed, form the 
surface rocks of a large part of the county. The transition for- 
mation, however, extends over the northern slope of the county, 
and is mainly composed of the Potsdam sandstone, very fine 
specimens of which are quarried in Malone, Chateaugay, Moira, 
and Bangor. In the northeast corner of Franklin township, the 
calciferous sand rock makes its appearance. 

The principal minerals are magnetic iron ore, found in Franklin, Duane, and 
Malone townships, purple scapolite, green pyroxene, graphite in six sided tables, 
bog iron ore, tufa, peat, and massive pyrites. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil of the north- 



FRANKLIN COUNTY. 345 

er n towns is probably equal in fertility to any in the state. Tht 
southern townships are less productive. It is mainly a sand) 
loam, occasionally mixed with clay, and much of it encumberec 
with stone. 

It is not well adapted to wheat, but grass, oats, barley, corn, 
and the esculent roots, thrive luxuriantly. 

The forests, which cover the central and southern portions, 
are very dense, and consist of white and yellow pine, hemlock, 
oak, beech, birch, basswood, elm, and white cedar. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the employment of the greater part 
of the inhabitants, and their attention is particularly directed to 
the raising of cattle, and the cultivation of summer crops. The 
preparation of lumber for market, is also the occupation of a 
considerable number of the citizens of the county. There is 
some commerce on the Salmon river, the only navigable stream, 
and a few mines. The iron ores already mentioned will eventu- 
ally furnish employment to considerable numbers. 

Staples. Potatoes, oats, wheat, corn, butter and wool. 

Schools. In 1846, there were 120 district schools in the 
county, in which 6190 scholars were taught. The schools were 
maintained an average period of seven months, and $6,041 ex- 
pended for tuition. The district libraries contained 10,230 
volumes. 

There were also seven select schools, with seventy-four pupils, and two acade- 
mies, with 113 students. 

Religious Denominations. Presbyterians, Roman Catho- 
lics, Baptists, Universalists, Episcopalians, and Congregation- 
alists. There are twenty churches, and twenty-nine ministers 
of all denominations. 

History. This county was the home of the St. Regis tribe 
of Indians, who, under the direction of the French, were so 
often engaged in hostile incursions upon the colonies of New 
England and New York, in the latter part of the seventeenth 
and commencement of the eighteenth centuries. The tribe 
have still a reservation of eleven miles in length and three in 
breadth, in the county, lying in the towns of Bombay and Fort 
Covington. 

A daughter of Rev. John Williams, of Deerfield, Massachu- 
setts, who, with his family , was taken captive by this tribe in 
1704, remained with the Indians, after her father's return, mar- 
ried one of the chiefs, and one of her descendants was a few 
years since chief of the tribe. 

The first settlers were Canadians, who located at French 
Mills, now Fort Covington about the year 1800. 

In April, 1804, Messrs. Benjamin Roberts, of Winchester, 



346 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Vermont, William Bailey, and Nathan Beman, commenced a 
settlement at Chateaugay. 

Soon after, Mr. Nathan Wood, of Vermont, settled in Ma- 
lone. Constable was settled about the same time. 

The first standard captured from the enemy, in the late war 
with Great Britain, was taken at Bombay, by Major G. D. 
Young, a native of Connecticut, on the 22d of October, 1812. 

Major Young was commandant of a detachment of the Troy 
volunteers stationed at French Mills, (now Fort Covington,) 
and having learned that a party of the enemy had arrived at 
the village of St. Regis, and that more were shortly expected, 
resolved to surprise them before they could be reinforced. He 
accordingly marched a detachment in the night to the vicinity 
of the village, surrounded the enemy, and captured forty pris- 
oners, with their arms, equipments, &c, one stand of colors, 
and two batteaux, without the loss of a single man. 

A skirmish took place on the 25th of October, 1813, at Cha- 
teaugay, between the British light troops and Indians, and a 
detachment of American troops, under General Izard, in 
which the latter were repulsed with the loss of fifty men. 

In February, 1814, a detachment of British and Indians, num- 
bering about 2300 men, made an incursion into Malone, and 
penetrated as far as Chateaugay Four Corners, when, hear- 
ing of the approach of American troops, they retreated in great 
confusion, suffering severely in their flight, from a storm of 
snow and hail. Upwards of 200 men deserted during this 
retreat. 

Fort Covington, in this county, was erected during the last 
war, and a part of the army wintered here in 1813—14. 

Villages. Malone, in the town of the same name, is the 
seat of justice for the county. It is situated on both sides of 
the Salmon river, which here furnishes a large amount of water 
power, and is surrounded by a fertile country. In the vicinity 
are extensive veins of valuable iron ore. The village has 
several manufactories of cotton goods, leather, scythes, pails, 
&c. The Franklin academy, located here, is in a flourishing 
condition. Population 1000. 

Fort Covington, located at the head of navigation, on Sal- 
mon river, is a flourishing village, largely employed in the lum- 
ber trade, and has an incorporated academy and several manu- 
factories. The fort here was an important military post during 
the war. The village was then known as the "French 
Mills." It received its present name in honor of General Cov- 
ington, who was slain at the battle of Williamsburgh, Novem- 
ber 13th, 1813. Population 1000, 



XLI1I, NIAGARA COUNTY. 



Square miles, 484, 
Organized, 1808. 



Population, 34 550. 
Valuation, 1845, $4,926,089. 




TO WITS. 

1. Cambria, 1808. 7. Wilson, 1818. 

2. Hartland, 1812. 8. Somerset, 1823. 

3. Niagara, 1S12. 9. Lockport, 1824. 

4. Porter, 1912. 10. Newfane, 1824. 

5. Lewiston, 1813. 11. Pendleton, 1827, 
6". Royalton, 1817. 12. Wheatfield, 1829. 

Rivers, fyc. M. Niagara River, a. Eighteen Mile Creek, b. John- 
son's, c. Tuscarora. f. HoweVs. r. Tonawanda, 

Falls. SS. Niagara Falls. 

Lakes. J. Lake Ontario. 

Battle Fields. Niagara. 

Forts. Niagara. Schlosser. 

Villages. Lockpoht. Lewiston. Niagara Falls Village. Youngs- 
town. 

Boundaries. North by Lake Ontario ; East by Orleans and 
Genesee counties ; South by Erie county, and West by Niagara 
river, 



348 



STATE OP NEW YORK. 



Surface. Like most of the other counties lying on Lake On- 
tario, Niagara county is divided by the Ridge Road and the 
mountain ridge, into three terraces, of which the two northern- 
most rise gradually from the lake shore to the mountain ridge ; 
while the southern declines almost imperceptibly toward Tona- 
wanda creek. The surface is therefore generally quite level, 
having no more than sufficient inequality to secure its effectual 
drainage. 

Rivers. The county is well watered. Besides Niagara riv- 
er, which forms its western boundary, the principal streams are 
Tonawanda creek, which divides it from Erie county, Tusca- 
rora, Eighteen Mile, Johnson's and Howefs creeks, falling into 
Lake Ontario ; and Cayuga creek, a tributary of Niagara river. 

Falls. This county, conjointly with Niagara district, Can- 
ada West, includes the world renowned cataract of Niagara. 

To portray fully the wonders of this stupendous waterfall, exceeds the powers 
of the human mind, and requires a language commensurate with its grandeur and 
magnificence. We shall therefore only attempt to describe the different elements 
which combine to render it the most extraordinary of natural wonders, and leave 
it to the imagination of the reader to group them into one harmonious whole, 
although nothing but an actual view of the falls, from several points, can give any 
adequate conception of its surpassing beauty and sublimity. 

For a distance of three-fourths of a mile above the falls, the river, over two 
miles in breadth, hurries forward in a succession of rapids, whose roar, combined 
with that of the cataract, may sometimes be heard for a distance of twenty miles. 

The descent accomplished by these rapids, is between fifty and sixty feet, and 
their imposing grandeur strikes the beholder with admiration and awe. As the 
waters approach the fall, the width of the river is compressed to about half a 
mile. Here it suddenly turns to the eastward, making almost a right angle in its 
course, and, immediately below the falls, is contracted to a width of only sevent}'- 
six rods. In consequence of this bend, the view of the cataract from the Ameri- 
can side is more in profile than that on the Canada side, where a short distance 
below the falls a front view is presented, giving the visitor at a glance an idea of 
its vast magnificence. 

Just above the falls, in the middle of the river, lies Goat or Iris Island, half a 
mile long, and about one-fourth of a mile wide, containing seventy-five acres. 
This has been connected with several adjacent small islands, by bridges, and these 
again with the American shore. Iris island is heavily timbered, and has a num- 
ber of fine walks, and a large garden. 

It extends over the cataract, and presents a wall of perpendicular rock, sepa- 
rating the crescent or Canadian fall, from the American portion of the cataract. 
This latter is again divided by Luna island, a small islet. There are thus three 
distinct cascades, One on the Canadian, and two on the American side. 

The lower fall, or that nearest the American shore, is more than 300 yards in 
width, and 164 feet in height. The central fall, extending from Luna to Iris isl- 
and, has the same height, but is only twenty yards in breadth. Both have a 
gentle curve in their outline. 

From the comparative shallowness of the waters on the American side, they 
are constantly dashed into foam, ere they reach the precipice. 

On the Canadian side of Iris island, is the great Horse Shoe or Crescent fall, 
over which pour seven-eights of the volume of water composing this mighty 
stream. It is about 700 yards in width, and 158 feet in height. The deep green 
of its billows is only relieved by the crests of white foam which surmount them. 

To the spectator, standing on Iris island, the cataract is veiled in a cloud of almost 



NIAGARA COUNTY. 349 

impenetrable mist, and all attempts to explore its apparently unfathomable depths 
seem futile. But in the clear sunlight, this mist is the source of new surprise and 
admiration; the rainbow, "the crescent of the abyss," with its evercnanging hues 
spans the impenetrable cloud, and adds new beauty to the scene. The view 
from Table rock, on the Canadian side, is more distinct, and gives the spectator 
a better comparative view of the three falls. 

Terrapin Bridge, 300 feet from Goat island, extends ten feet over the falls, and 
near its end, in the water, and upon the edge of the precipice, a stone tower, 
forty-rive feet high, has been erected. The view of the fall from the top of this 
tower is very grand, but requires some steadiness of nerve. 

The banks of the river below the precipice constitute an almost perpendicular 
wall, nearly 200 feet in height, requiring artificial means for descending to the 
water's edge. For this purpose, three staircases have been erected. The first 
is on the main land, on the American side, giving access to the ferry. Recently 
a railway, moved by hydraulic power, has been constructed, to facilitate the de- 
scent. The river is crossed in safety in a row boat, propelled by a single person. 

A second staircase was erected in 1829, on the perpendicular face of Iris isl- 
and, at the expense of the late Nicholas Biddle. A rude but strong flight of com- 
mon steps leads down a steep declivity of about forty feet, to the head of the Biddle 
stair case, which is in the form of a hexagon, enclosing triangular steps, that wind 
spirally round a large and solid oaken shaft. The descent accomplished by these 
is about 80 feet. Paths lead from the foot of these stairs, to the river brink, to 
the verge of the British fall, and to the Central fall, and the Cave of the Winds 
behind it. 

The third staircase is on the Canadian side, and conducts the visitor under the 
overhanging ledge of Table rock. Here he will find a path leading under the 
Great Crescent fall, by which, if he chooses to venture, he may pass, for a dis- 
tance of about 150 feet, behind this vast mass of waters. 

The depth of the river, a short distance below the cataract, is 250 feet. The 
quantity of water poured over the falls has been variously estimated. Dr. Dwight 
computed it at more than 100 millions of tons per hour. 

About three miles below the falls, is a whirlpool, produced by the projection of 
a rocky promontory, against which the waters of the river have, for ages, hurled 
their angry billows in vain. In this whirlpool, timber and the dead bodies of men 
or animals, which have been precipitated over the cataract, are often retained for 
days, and sometimes for weeks, ere they pass the narrow outlet. About a mile 
below this is a deep ravine, where formerly there was another whirlpool, but the 
waters, after centuries of unceasing action, wrought out for themselves a more 
quiet passage. This gloomy flell was, some seventy-five or eighty years since, the 
scene of a fearful tragedy, whic^i will be related in the historical sketch of the 
county. It is called " the devil's hole." 

Lakes. Lake Ontario forms the northern boundary of the 
county. 

Canals. The Erie canal passes through the southeastern 
and sout leru p >r ons of the county. 

Railroads. The Buffalo and Niagara falls railroad connects 
Niagara falls with the lines of railroad from Albany. There is 
also a railroad connecting Lockport and Niagara falls with a 
branch extending to Lewiston. 

Climate. Owing to the vicinity of the lakes, the climate is 
mild and equable. It is considered healthful. Here, as in Erie 
county, fruits flourish in greater perfection, and vegetation is 
earlier than in the same parallels in the eastern counties. 

Geology and Minerals. The Medina sandstone is the basis 
rock of the county, and makes its appearance near the Lake 
16 



350 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

shore; above this appears the Clinton group of limestones; the 
Niagara group forms the surface rock of the second terrace, and 
abounds in fossils ; the Onondaga salt group appears as the sur- 
face rock of the third terrace, and contains as usual large quan- 
tities of gypsum, and numerous brine springs. 

Bog iron ore is found in various parts of the county ; copper, in minute quan- 
tities, has been discovered near Lockport ; sulphate of strontian. calcareous spar, 
anhydrous sulphate of lime, selenite, pearl spar, and occasionally fluor spar, and 
sulphuret of zinc, are found at Lockport. Sulphur springs are numerous ; some 
of them have considerable reputation. The brine springs are too weak to be of 
much practical value. There is also a chalybeate spring, and one emitting car- 
buretted hydrogen gas, in sufficient quantity to maintain a steady flame. Shell 
marl is found in the swamps. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is highly fertile, 
yielding grains and grasses in abundance. Fruit is cultivated 
here in great perfection. The timber is mainly oak, beech, ma- 
ple, tamarack, ash, &c. 

Pursuits. A majority of the inhabitants are engaged in agri- 
cultural, pursuits. The culture of wheat and the other grains, 
occupies the attention of most of the farmers of the county. 
Butter and wool are also produced in considerable quantities. 

The manuf i ctures of the county are numerous, and constant- 
ly increasing in value and importance. Flour is manufactured 
in large quantities. Lumber, cotton and woollen goods, iron 
ware, potash and leather, are the other principal articles pro- 
duced. Their value, in 1845, was nearly two millions of dollars. 

Commerce. The commerce of the county is quite extensive, 
both on the lake and on the canal. Lewiston is the principal 
port on the Niagara river. 

Staple Productions. Wheat is the great staple of this 
county. The other principal agricultural products, are oats, 
corn, potatoes, peas, butter and wool. 

Schools. In 1846, there were in -the county 158 district 
school-houses, in which schools were maintained an average 
period of eight months each. 11,919 children received instruc- 
tion, at an expense for tuition of $15,034. The number of vol- 
umes in the district libraries was 16,612. 

822 pupils were instructed in twenty-nine select schools. There were also in 
the county one academy, and one female seminary, with 185 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Bap- 
tists, Episcopalians, Friends, Congregationalists, Universalists, 
Dutch Reformed, Lutherans, and Roman Catholics. There 
are fifty churches and fifty-nine clergymen of all denominations, 
in the county. 

History. In 1697, M. de la Salle erected a palisade fort at 
or near the site of Fort Niagara. 

In 1712, the Tuscarora Indians removed to this county from 



NIAGARA COUNTY. 351 

Vorth Carolina, and united themselves with the Iroquois conf- 
ederacy, which thenceforth assumed the name of " the Six Na- 
tions." They still hold a reservation of about 5000 acres, 
ying in the town of Lewiston. They are about 200 in number, 
ind are mostly in prosperous circumstances. They have a 
;hurch and school, both under the direction of the American 
Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. 

In 1725, the French erected a fort at the mouth of the Niagara 
iver, in this county, in pursuance of their design of connecting 
;heir Canadian settlements with those on the Mississippi, by a 
main of military posts. 

Here their efficient emissaries, the Jesuit missionaries, won 
;he affections of the simple hearted red men, by their ready 
compliance with their dress and customs; and extolling the 
DOWer and grandeur of the French monarchs, incited them to 
leeds of aggression and bloodshed against the English. Not 
ong after the erection of this fort, a stockade fortress, since 
mown as old Fort Schlosser, situated about a mile above the 
alls, was also erected. 

In 1759, Fort Niagara was captured from the French, by the 
British army, under the command of. Sir William Johnson. It 
vas rebuilt and garrisoned anew the same year. 

During the revolution, it was held by the British, and from 
ts time-stained walls, issued numerous bands of Indians and 
ories, bound on expeditions of bloody revenge, or lawless plun- 
ler, to the hapless valleys of the Schoharie and Mohawk. To 
;his place, too, they brought the prisoners and scalps they had 
aken, to claim the reward which a British ministry offered for 
;hese evidences of their own inhumanity. 

In 1796, this fort was surrendered to the United States. At 
hat time there was but one white family, beside the occupants 
)f the fort, within the present limits of the county. 

During the late war with Great Britain, the American garri- 
son, consisting of 370 men, were surprised by an unexpected 
ittack from a force of more than 1200 British troops, who cross- 
id the river, and after a brief but severe struggle, captured the 
brt. Sixty-five of the garrison were killed, and twenty-seven 
jieces of ordnance, with a large quantity of military stores, fell 
nto the hands of the captors. In March, 1815, it was again 
surrendered to the United States. On the 14th of September, 
L826, Morgan, of antimasonic notoriety, was confined in the 
nagazine of the fort. 

There can be no doubt that during its occupancy by the French, it was occa- 
jionally used as a prison for state offenders ; and from that time to the close of 
:he revolution, deeds of crime and blood were committed there, which the light 
Df the judgment day alone will reveal. 



352 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

On the 17th of September, 1763, a company of troops, num- 
bering with the teamsters, about 175 men, were escorting a 
quantity of stores to Fort Schlosser, and had reached the ravine 
known as the Devil's Hole, on the Niagara river, when they 
were beset by a party of Sene :a li dians, who were then in the 
French interest, and all but two murdered, or dashed to pieces 
in their fall over the precipice. 

One, a drummer, was saved by the strap of his drum being 
caught in the branches of a tree, in hie fall; the other, a man by 
the name of Stedman, being well mounted, forced his way 
through the hostile crowd and fled, at the utmost speed of his 
horserto Fort Schlosser. His clothes were riddled with balls, 
but he was unhurt. T he Indians considered his escape as mirac- 
ulous, and gave him a large tract of land, embracing all that he 
had rode over in his flight. 

In December, 1813, the British burned Lewiston, Youngs- 
town, Manchester, (now Niagara Falls village,) and the Tusca- 
rora Indian village, alleging the burning of Newark, in Canada 
West, by the Americans, as an excuse for their barbarity. 

Early in December, 1837, after the failure of the attack of the 
" Canadian patriots," (so called,) on Toronto, McKenzie and 
Sutherland, two of their leaders, who had escaped to the Uni- 
ted States, together with some twenty-five of their adherents, 
took possession of Navy island, in the Niagara river, above the 
Falls, and remained there nearly a month, bidding defiance to 
the Jritish troops, who were congregated on the Canadian 
shore, to the number of 3000 or 4000 men. 

The ranks of the " patriots" were constantly reinforced by 
volunteers from the American frontier, until they numbered 
about 600. The British fired upon them, and killed one man; 
the fire was returned, and preparations made to cross into Can- 
ada, when by the interposition of General Scott, the island was 
evacuated, and the patriot army dispersed. 

It was during the occupation of this island, that Mr. Wells, 
of Buffalo, the proprietor of a small steamboat, called the Car- 
oline, formed the project of running his steamer as a ferry boat, 
between Navy island and old Fort Schlosser, in order to accom- 
modate the numbers who wished to pass and repass daily. 

Accordingly, on the 29th of December, the boat commenced 
running, and having made several trips during the day, was 
moored at night, beside the wharf at Schlosser. Numbers, 
who had been attracted by curiosity to the place, were unable 
to obtain lodgings at the tavern, the only dwelling in the vicinity, 
and sought accommodations on board the boat. 

About midnight, the watch on board the steamer observed 
a boat approaching ; he hailed, but before he could give the 



NIAGARA COUNTY. 353 

alarm, a body of armed men from Canada, rushed on board, 
crying " cut them down, give no quarter ;" no resistance was 
made on board the boat; all who could do so, escaped to the 
shore. Five persons were known to be killed. 
, The boat was cut from her moorings, towed out into the 
stream, set on fire, and suffered to drift down the river, and over 
the falls. It was supposed that several persons were on board 
at the time she went over the cataract. This outrage produced 
great excitement on the frontier, and had well nigh involved 
our government in a war with Great Britain. 

Villages. Lockport, the county seat, is a large and busy 
village in the town of the same name. It was founded in 1821, 
and incorporated in 1829. The Erie canal here descends, by 
five massive double locks, sixty feet. Eefore reaching these 
locks, in its progress eastward, the canal passes, for several 
miles, through a deep cutting of limestone, where the walls 
of rock, on either hand, rise twenty or thirty feet above the 
level of the canal. The descent of the canal furnishes an im- 
mense water power, which is partially improved. The village 
has a great variety of manufactures. Several very large flour 
mills are in operation. Population, 6800. 

Niagara Falls Village is a beautiful and thriving place, 
deriving much of its importance from its proximity to the cata- 
ract. It has been proposed to devote the waters of the Niagara 
at this place, to manufacturing purposes, but it is to be hoped 
that such a project may never be carried into execution. Popu- 
lation, 1000. 

Levjiston, in the town of the same name, has considerable 
trade with Oswego, and other ports on Lake Ontario. Here is 
also a ferry across the Niagara river, to Q,ueenstown. It is the 
head of steamboat navigation on the river. Population, 900. 

Youngstown is a thrivingJittle village in the town of Porter. 
It has a good steamboat landing, and is connected with the vil- 
lage of Niagara, in Canada, by a steam ferry. Population, 700. 

Middleport, in the town of Royalton, is a village of some im- 
portance. 



XLIV. SULLIVAN COUNTY. 



Square miles, 919. 
Organized, 1809. 



Population, 18,727. 
Valuation, 1845, $1,468,283. 




TOWNS. m 



7. Bethel, 1809. 

8. Fallsburgh, 1826. 

9. Cochecton, 1828. 

10. Forrestbursjh, 1838. 

11. Collikoon,1842. 



1. Mamakating, 1798. 

2. Lumberland, 1798. 

3. Nevisink, 1798. 

4. Rockland, 1798. 

5. Thompson, 1804. 

6. Liberty, 1807. 
Mountains. P. Shawangunk mountains. 

Rivers. H. Delaware river. R. Nevisink. a. Collikoon. e. Mon- 
gaup. g. Bashe's kill. k. Beaver kill. i. Little Beaver kill. 

Falls. On the Mongaup and Nevisink. Fallsburgh andForrestburgh. 

Lakes, h. White Lake. 1. Long Pond. m. Round, n. Sand. 

Canals. Delaware and Hudson canal. 

Villages. Monticello. Bloomingsburgh. Wurtzborough. Falls- 
burgh. Cochecton. 



SULLIVAN COUNTY. 355 

Boundaries. North by Delaware and Ulster counties ; East 
by Ulster and Orange ; South by Orange county and the Dd- 
vfhre river ; and West by the Delaware river. 

Surface. Hilly and mountainous. The Shawangunk moun- 
tains occupy the eastern section of the county. The western face 
of these mountains is precipitous, but they descend by a gentle 
declivity on the east. The remainder of the county has an ele- 
vated surface, divided into numerous ridges, by the streams 
which intersect it 

Rivers. The Delaware forms the south-western boundary of 
the county ; the other principal streams are the Collikoon, Mon- 
gaup and Nevisink rivers, Bashe's, Beaver and Little Beaver 
kills. 

Lakes. The county abounds with small lakes, among which 
are White Lake, Long Pond, Round Pond, and Sand Pond. 

Canals. The Delaware and Hudson canal passes through 
the valley of Bashe's kill. 

Climate. Cold but healthy. Vegetation is about two weeks 
later than in Ulster and Orange counties. In some parts of the 
county frost occurs every month. 

Geology and Minerals. This county comprises several 
geological formations of interest. The western half and a por- 
tion of the northern section, belong to the old red sandstone 
formation, or Catskill group ; the central and southern porti ms 
are composed of the Chemung sandstone and shales ; as we 
proceed eastward we encounter successively the limestones of 
the Hamilton group, the Helderberg limestones, the gray Sha- 
wangunk sandstone and grit, which forms the largest portion of 
the surface rock of the county ; and the Hudson river slate. 

The number of minerals is not large. In the vicinity of Wurtzborough, and in 
other parts of the county, mines of lead ore have been opened, which promise to 
be productive and valuable. Crystallized iron ttnd copper pyrites, sulphuret of 
zinc, and quartz crystals of jjeat beauty, have been found in connection with the 
lead at these localities. The red sandstone affords, in some places, a fine building 
material. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil of the uplands 
is fertile and well adapted to the production of the grasses and 
more hardy grains. In the valley of the Delaware it i& cold and 
wet. The county is well adapted to grazing. The timber con- 
sists principally of pine, hemlock, beech, maple, linden, oak and 
tulip tree. But little more than one tenth of the soil is under 
cultivation. 

Pursuits. The people of this county are mostly devoted to 
agriculture. But little grain is raised, and that principally 
corn, oats and buckwheat. The products of the dairy receive 
considerable attention. 

Manufactures. Leather and lumber are extensively manu- 



356 



STATE OF NEW YORK. 



factored. The latter finds its way to market by the Delaware 
river. 

Commerce. The Delaware and Hudson canal furnishes an 
easy mode of transportation for the produce of the eastern sec- 
tion of the county. The Delaware river is navigable in the 
spring, and immense quantities of lumber are rafted down it. 

Mines. There are lead mines near Wurtzborough, in the 
town of Mamakating. 

Staples. Oats, corn, butter, beef, pork, lumber and leather. 

Schools. In 1S46, there were in the county, 118 district 
school-houses, in which 6328 children were instructed at an ex- 
pense for tuition, of $8793. The schools were in session an 
average period of eight months each. The district libraries 
contained 10,379 volumes. 

There were also eight select schools, with 178 scholars, and one academy with 
thirteen pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Dutch 
Reformed, Baptists, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, and 
Friends. Total number of churches, twenty-eight ; of clergy- 
men, twenty-three. 

History. In 1777, or 1778, several persons having been killed 
by the Indians in Rochester, Ulster county, the commander of 
the garrison at Honkhill, in Wawarsing, who had two or three 
hundred troops under his command, determined to intercept the 
Indians on their return, and punish them for their barbarities. 
He accordingly called for volunteers, and Lieutenant John Gra- 
hams offered his services. They were accepted, and with a 
lieutenant's guard, consisting of twenty men, he made his way 
to a place since called Grahamsville, in the town of Nevisink. 

Unpracticed in the arts of Indian warfare, they were no match 
for their wily foes. The Indians decoyed them from their posi- 
tion, induced them to waste their fire upon a single Indian, and 
then shot them down, and scalped them. IBut three of the num- 
ber escaped to carry to the garrison the intelligence of the loss 
of their comrades. 

The town of Mamakating belonged to the Minisink patent, 
and was settled by the Dutch at an early period. The remain- 
der of the county belonged to the Hardenburgh patent, and was 
not occupied till near the commencement of the present century. 
The emigrants, with the exception of those who located at 
Mamakating, were mostly from :he eastern states. The county 
was named in honor of General Sullivan, of revolutionary 
memory. 

Villages. Monticello, in the town of Thompson, was found- 
ed in 1804, by Messrs. S. F.andJ. P. Jones, and made the county 
seat at the organization of the county in 1809. Population, 700. 

Blooming sburgh is a pleasant village, in the town of Mama- 



SCHENECTADY COUNTY. 



357 



kating. It is in the midst of a fine agricultural country. It has 
an academy. Population, 600. 

Wurtzhorough, in the same town, is a flourishing village, 
named after the projector of the Delaware and Hudson canal. 
Near the village is a lead mine of considerable importance. 
Population, 500. 

Liberty, FaHsburgh, and Cochecton, in the towns of the same 
names, are villages of considerable importance. 



XLV. SCHENECTADY COUNTY. 

Square miles, 186. Population, 16,630. 

Organized, 1809. Valuation, 1845, $2,739,421. 







TOWNS. 



1. Schenectady, 1GS4. 

2. Princeton, 1798. 

3. Duanesburgh, 1801. 
Rivers. AA. Schoharie kill 
Lakes, e. Maria. 
Cities and Villages. Schenectady 



4. Neskayuna, 1809. 

5. Glenville, 1820. 

6. Rotterdam, 1820. 
F. Mohawk river, a. Norman's kill 

Duanesburgh. Rotterdam. 



Boundaries. North by Montgomery and Saratoga ; East by 
Saratoga ; South by Albany and Schoharie ; and West by Scho- 
harie, counties. 

Surface. The surface of Schenectady county is agreeably 
diversified with hills, plains and valleys. Flint hill extends 
16* 



358 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

through a part of the southern section, and a spur of the Kaya- 
derosseras range passes through the town of Glenville, nearly to 
Schenectady. On the banks of the rivers are extensive flats. 

Rivers. The Mohawk, Schoharie kill and Norman's kill, are 
the principal streams. 

Lakes. Lake Maria is a small body of water in Duanesburgh. 

Canals. The Erie canal crosses the Mohawk near the east- 
ern line of the county, and passes along the south west bank of 
that river. 

Railroads- It has four lines of railroads, the Mohawk and 
Hudson, Troy, Saratoga and Utica railroads,, all centering in 
the city of Schenectady. 

Climate. The climate of this county is mild and salubrious, 
but subject to considerable extremes of temperature. 

Geology and Minerals. The Hudson river group, consisting 
of grits and shales, or slaty rocks, is the prevailing surface rock 
of this county. The Utica slate makes its appearance in the 
neighborhood of Glenville. The whole county is overlaid by 
clay and gravel, to the depth of from fifty to one hundred feet. 

Bog iron ore occurs near the line of Albany county. There are several local- 
ities of calcareous spar, one of which resembles arragonite. Quartz crystals and 
common jasper are also found in the county. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is various. The 
extensive alluvial tracts along the Mohawk and other streams, 
are exceedingly fertile. The hills and plains are either a light 
sandy or clay loam, less fertile, and sometimes barren. 

Pine and oak are the principal forest trees. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the leading pursuit of the inhabit- 
ants. Wheat and barley are extensively raised. The rearing 
of cattle occupies some attention. 

Manufacturers are quite limited. Flour, cotton goods, iron 
and leather are the principal articles. 

Commerce. By means of its canal and railroads this county 
enjoys ample facilities for the transportation of its produce. 

Staple Productions. Oats, potatoes, corn, barley, rye, buck- 
wheat, wheat, butter and cheese. 

Schools. This county had in 1846, seventy-five common 
schools, with 3614 pupils. They were taught an average pe- 
riod of eight months, at an expense of $4960. The district 
libraries numbered 7115 volumes. 

Thi;re were two select schools, with twenty-two scholars; an academy with 
108 pupils, and a college, with eleven professors and 242 students. 

Religious Denominations. Dutch Reformed, Presbyterians. 
Methodists, Baptists, Episcopalians, Universalists, Roman 
Catholics and Friends. The whole number of churches is 
twenty four, of clergymen, thirty-four. 



SCHENECTADY COUNTY. 359 

History. This county was one of the first settled in the 
state. Previous to the year 1620 several Dutch traders estab- 
lished themselves here, to traffic with the Indians for furs. 

The first grant of lands was made in 1661, to Arendt Van 
Corlaer and others, on condition that they purchased the soil from 
the natives. The deed was obtained in 1672, and signed by 
four Mohawk chiefs. It comprised a part of the present city of 
Schenectady. 

In November, 1665, Governor Nichols granted to Mr. Alex- 
ander Lindsay Glen, a Scotch gentleman of ancient and noble 
descent, a tract lying on the Mohawk, and comprising most of 
the present town of Glenville. Mr. Glen resided for a number 
of years in Albany and Schenectady, and in 1690 removed to 
his patent, where, in 1713, he erected a country seat, which he 
named Scotia, and which is still standing. 

According to tradition, Neskayuna was settled in 1640. A 
patent for land in this town was granted to Harmon Vedder, in 
1664. 

On the eighth of February, 1690, the village of Schenectady, 
then containing sixty-three houses and a church, was burned, 
and sixty-three of its inhabitants murdered, twenty-seven car- 
ried captive, and others perished, from the severity of the sea- 
son, in the attempt to escape. 

The marauders who thus rushed upon the sleeping and de- 
fenceless inhabitants, like wolves upon the sheep fold, were a 
party of 200 Frenchmen and about fifty Indians, from Canada, 
who had nearly perished from hunger and cold in their murder- 
ous expedition. 

Having plundered and destroyed the village, they commenced 
their return, but were pursued by the Albany militia and the 
Indians friendly to the English, and twenty -five of their number 
killed. 

In 1748, the Canadian Indians made'another hostile incursion 
into the county, and killed a Mr. Daniel Toll, who had gone 
about three miles from Schenectady, in search of some stray 
horses. On receiving intelligence of his murder, about sixty 
young men, from Schenectady, started in quest of the enemy. 
They were soon surprised by a party of Indians in ambush, and 
more than half their number were killed. The remainder suc- 
ceeded in reaching a house near by, where they kept the enemy 
at bay, till the Schenectady militia came to their aid, when the 
Indians fled and returned to Canada. Thirty-two young men, 
of the best families of Schenectady, fell in this affray. 

The county was, with few exceptions, settled by the Dutch, 
and remained a part of Albany county until 1809. 



360 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Cities anp Villages. Schenectady city, the seat of justice 
for the county, is situated on the south branch of the Mohawk 
river, fifteen miles northwest of Albany. As has been already 
stated, it was founded at a very early period. 

Previous to the Construction of the Erie canal, it was a place 
of very considerable business, as goods intended for the western 
trade were shipped upon the Mohawk at this place. After the 
completion of the canal, most of this trade was transferred to 
Albany; but the numerous railroads which now center here, 
have given it a new impulse, and its business and population 
have materially increased within a few years past. 

The city has some manufactories — the principal are flour, 
paper, cotton goods, iron, leather, tobacco, malt liquors, &c. 
Population 6555. 

Union College, which is located here, was founded in 1795, 
and received its name from the fact that its founders were mem- 
bers of different religious denominations. It has a corps of 
eleven professors, and three principal edifices, two of brick and 
one of stone. Its apparatus is very complete, and its library 
large and valuable. It is amply endowed, and has property to 
the amount of $450,000. Attached to the college building is a 
tract of land, 250 acres in extent, a part of which is laid out in 
walks and pleasure grounds. Its situation is highly picturesque. 

Rotterdam is a small manufacturing village, in the town of 
the same name. 

Duanesburgh is a village of some importance. 






XLVI. 

Square Miles, 216. 
Organized, 1812. 



PUTNAM COUNTY. 

Population, 13,258. 
Valuation, 1845, $2,929,318. 




1. Kent, 1788. 

2. Philipstown, 1788. 

3. Carmel. 1795. 
Mountains. FF. Highlands. 
Peaks, c. Anthony's Nose. d. 

neck Hill. 
Rivers. C. Hudson River. S. 
La/ces, fyc. Mahopack Pond. 



4. Patterson, 1795. 

5. Southeast, 1795. 

G. Putnam Valley, 1838. 
U. Taghkanic Range. 
Sugar Loaf. e. Bull Hill. f. Break- 

Croton. b. Peekskill. 
i. Shaw's Pond. 



Villages. Carmel. Cold Spring. 

Boundaries. North by Dutchess county ; East by the state 
of Connecticut; South by Westchester county, and West by 
the Hudson river. 

Surface. Putnam is one of the most mountainous counties 
in the state. The hills are not, however, generally abrupt or 
precipitous, but rounded and susceptible of cultivation almost 
to their summits. It is well adapted to grazing. 

The Highlands extend across the western part of the county. 
The range commences at the river, in the southwest corner of 
Philipstown, and takes a northeasterly course, extending into 
Dutchess county. In Philipstown there are several considera- 
ble peaks, the most prominent of which are Anthony's Nose, 
Sugar Loaf, Bull Hill, Breakneck Hill, and High Peak. The 
highest of these peaks is 1580 feet above the level of the Hudson. 

In the eastern part the Taghkanic range extends through the 
count n-, from north to south. 

Rivers. Beside the Hudson, which forms the western bound- 
ary of the county, the Croton river and its branches, and the 
Peekskill, are the only streams worthy of notice. 



362 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Lakes. Mahopack and Shaw's ponds, in the town of Car- 
mel, are the only bodies of water of importance. The first is 
nine miles in circumference, and has two islands; the other is 
much smaller in extent. 

The climate is healthful, though cool. 

Geology and Minerals. This county belongs to the south- 
eastern primitive district of the state. Granite, gneiss, and 
primitive limestone are the principal rocks. In the town of Pat- 
terson, and at several other points in the county, beds of trans- 
ition limestone occur. They are, however, of small extent. 

The principal minerals of this county are iron ore, of the magnetic and hema- 
titic varieties, in great abundance, and of superior quality ; copperas, arsenic, 
copper ores, chrome iron ore, serpentine, asbestus, dolomite, tremolite, pyroxene, 
scapolite, epidote, zircon, sphene, albite, graphite, peat, and phosphate of lime. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. As might be expected 
from its geological character, the timber is principally oak, 
chestnut, ash, maple, hickory, &c. The soil is perhaps natu- 
rally sterile, but treated with plaster, produces luxuriant crops 
of blue grass, herds-grass, and clover. The appearance of the 
farms indicate that the owners are possessed of competence. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the inhab- 
itants. Considerable attention is paid to the dairy, and to the 
rearing of cattle, sheep, swine and fowls. Much of the pro- 
duce exposed for sale in theNew York markets is brought from 
this county. 

Manufactures receive some attention. 

The West Point foundry, at Cold Spring, is the largest in the 
United States, and employs more than four hundred men. 
There are one or two other foundries in the county. The other 
manufactures are of comparatively little importance. There 
are iron mines in Philipstown, Putnam Valley and Southeast. 

Commerce. There is but one good landing on the Hudson in 
this county, that of Cold Spring. Some commerce is carried 
on from this point. 

Staple Productions. Butter, beef, wool and mutton are 
the principal staples. Calves, lambs, fowls, &c, are also car- 
ried to the New York market in large quantities. 

Schools. There are in the county sixty three public schools. 
In 1846, these schools were taught on an average nine months ; 
3245 children received instruction, at an expense of $6562. The 
libraries of the district contained 8618 volumes. There were 
also, ten private schools, with 124 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics and Friends. 

History. This county was settled at an early period, but re- 
mained attached to Dutchess till 1812. At the base of the Sugar 



PUTNAM COUNTY. 363 

Loaf, in Philipstown, stands Beverly^ house, formerly the resi- 
dence of Col. Beverly Robinson, a loyalist, who, during the rev- 
olution, went with his family to New York, and thence to Great 
Britain. His estate was confiscated by the legislatuie, and his 
family banished. This house was the head quarters of General 
Putnam, General Parsons, and the traitor Arnold. It was here 
that Arnold received the intelligence, that his treason was re- 
vealed, and from the landing on this estate he made his escape 
on board the British sloop Vulture. 

From the foot of the peak called Anthony's Nose, to Fort 
Montgomery, a chain and boom were stretched, by order of the 
continental congress, in the autumn of 1776, for the purpose of 
obstructing navigation, and preventing the enemy from ascend- 
ing the Hudson. This chain was broken the same year, by the 
British. 

In 1778, Captain Machin, the engineer who had constructed 
the former chain, superintended the making of another, of twice 
its diameter, which extended from West Point, to a battery at 
Constitution Island. This was never broken by the enemy, but 
was taken up every autumn, and replaced in the spring. It 
weighed 186 tons. 

Villages. Carmel, in the town of the same name, is the seat 
of justice for the county. In picturesque beauty, and healthful- 
ness of situation, Carmel is surpassed by i"ew villages in the 
state. Declining gradually to the shore of Shaw's lake, a beau- 
tiful sheet of water, it presents one of the loveliest landscapes 
on which the eye can rest. Population 350. 

Cold Spring, on the bank of the Hudson, in Philipstown, 
is a thriving village, supported mainly by the mammoth iron 
foundry, about a mile from the landing. Population 1500. 

Southeast is a well watered and fertile town. Joe's Hill a 
noted eminence, extends west from Connecticut, into the centre 
of the town. 

Iron ore is abundant in this town, and of good quality. There 
are several ponds of considerable size. 



XLVII. WARREN COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 912. 
Organized, 1813. 



Population, 14,908. 
Valuation, 1845, $976,433. 




1. Queensbury, 178S. 

2. Luzerne, 1792. 

3. Athol, about 1800. 

4. Bolton, about 1805. 

5. Johnsburgh, 1S05. 



TOWNS. 

6. Hague, 1807. 

7. Chester, about 1809. 

8. Caldwell, 1810. 

9. Warrensburgh, 1813. 
10. Horicon, 1838. 



Mountains. EE. Kayaderosseras. HH. Clinton, m. Luzerne. 

Rivers. C. Hudson, e. Jessup's Creek, f. Schroon Branch. 

Lakes. X. George. 1 Schroon. d. Brant. 

Falls, k. Hadley. n. Glen's, o. Baker's. 

Battle Field. Caldwell. 

Fort. Fort George. 

Villages. Caldwell. Glen's Falls. 



WARREN COUNTY, 



365 



Boundaries. North by Essex ; East by Washington ; South 
by Saratoga, and West by Hamilton county. 

Surface. This county, with the exception of a small portion 
on the south, has a very elevated and rugged surface. The Lu- 
zerne or Palmertown range of mountains traverses the eastern 
section, the Kayaderosseras the central, and the Clinton range 
the western portion of the county. Many of their summits at- 
tain an altitude of from 800 to 1200 feet. The towns of War- 
rensburgh and Luzerne, are comparatively level. 

Rivers. The Hudson, Schroon Branch and Jessup's creek, are 
the principal streams. They have a southerly direction through 
the county. 

Falls. Hadley, Jessup's, and Glen's falls, are on the Hudson. 

Lakes. Lake George, which has already been described, and 
Schroon lake are the most important. 

Climate. Cold but healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. With the exception of a small bed 
of Trenton limestone, in the valleys in the southeast part of the 
county, the whole county is primitive— composed of gneiss, with 
some hypersthene, granite and primitive limestone. Serpentine 
is also found in veins between the predominant rocks. 

Iron is considerably abundant. The magnetic ore is frequent, but does not 
occur in large masses; porcelain clay, black marble of very fine quality, (from 
the vicinity of Glen's Falls.) verd antique, black lead or graphite, and peat, are the 
most important of the useful minerals. Besides these, fluor, zircon, pyrites, mas- 
sive feldspar, tourmaline, rutile, rhomb spar, quartz crystals of great beauty, ^nd 
calcareous spar occur in several localities. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil of the greater 
part of the county is sterile. Some fertile land, however, is 
found in the narrow valleys, and in the level portions above 
mentioned. A heavy growth of timber covers its hills, consist- 
ing of pine, spruce, fir, cedar, oak, maple, beech, elm and ash. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the leading pursuit; but the settle- 
ments are sparse, and in many sections the gigantic timber 
is not yet felled. Many of the inhabitants are engaged in pre- 
paring lumber for market. The county seems to be very well 
adapted to grazing ; corn, oats and potatoes also succeed well. 

The manufactures are those common to a new country ; 
lumber, leather, potash, flour and fulled cloths. At Glen's Falls, 
marble is also largely manufactured. The quantity of lumber 
sent to market from this county is very great. 

The commerce of the county is mostly confined to the trans- 
portation of its own productions to market, by the Champlain 
canal. 

The Staples are lumber, corn, potatoes, oats, butter and 
wool. 



366 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Schools. In 1846, there were 115 district schools, sustained 
an average period of six months each, and at an expense for 
teachers wages of $4869. The number of scholars was 4993, 
and of volumes in the school libraries 7951. There were eleven 
private schools, with 525 scholars, and one academy, with 
ninety-five pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyte- 
rians, Friends, Universalists, and Episcopalians. The whole 
number of churches is twenty-eight, of clergymen, thirty -four. 

History. In the French war of 1754—63, a number of inter- 
esting events occured in this county. 

In August, 1755, General Johnson, (afterwards Sir William,) 
led a force of about 5000 troops, including 1000 Indians, under 
the command of Hendrick, the celebrated Mohawk chieftain, to 
attack Crown Point. About the last of the month he encamped 
at the south end of Lake George, and made preparations to 
convey his troops, by water, to the foot of the Lake. The Ba- 
ron Dieskau, the commander of the French forces, meantime, 
had descended the lake in search of his antagonist. On the 8th 
of September, General Johnson received intelligence of his ap- 
proach, and despatched Colonel Williams, with 1200 men, to 
attack him. 

Taking advantage of the dense forests, Dieskau had formed 
his troops in a crescent, and Williams erelong found himself 
surrounded by the enemy. He soon fell, as did Hendrick, both 
fighting with the utmost bravery. Lieutenant Colonel Whiting, 
of New Haven, Connecticut, the second in command, ordered 
a retreat, which he conducted with such skill and intrepidity, 
that his troops returned to the camp without disorder, and took 
their places in the ranks. 

Dieskau pressed on in pursuit, but halting his men, to arrange 
them for the onset upon the English camp, the English forces 
recovered their firmness and awaited his attack without dis- 
order. The Indians, in the employ of the French, were soon 
driven off" by the cannon, and fled. 

Dieskau led up the main body of his troops, but in vain ; they 
were repulsed again and again, and after an obstinate action of 
five hours, the English, leaping over the breastwork, engaged 
the French hand to hand, and soon put them to flight. Dies- 
kau was mortally wounded and taken prisoner. The loss of 
the French was very severe. The British commander. Gene- 
ral Johnson, was wounded in the early part of the conflict, and 
resigned the command to General Lyman. 

For this success, the first which had attended the English 
arms during the war, General Johnson was rewarded with a 
baronetcy and a donation of £5000. 



WARREN COUNTY. 367 

The day following' the battle, a detach? ent from Fort Ed- 
ward attacked the fugitives of Dieskau's army, on French moun- 
tain, and killed the greater part of them. 

Sir William did not proceed after this vict y to Crown Point, 
which if attacked might have been easily carried, but satisfied 
himself with erecting and fortifying Fort William Henry at the 
head of Lake George. 

In August, 1757, this fort was taken by the Marquis de Mont- 
calm, the commander of the French forces. Colonel Monroe, 
who commanded the garrison, made a brave resistance, but the 
failure of General Webb to send him reinforcements, and the 
want of ammunition, at length compelled him to capitulate, 
which he did on the most honorable terms. 

No sooner, however, had the French obtained possession of 
the fort, than the terms of capitulation were most shamefully 
broken ; the Indians rushed upon the defenceless troops, and 
plundered and murdered them without resistance. Montcalm 
had promised an escort, but it was withheld, and they were 
compelled to flee, as best they might, from the murderous as- 
saults of savages thirsting for blood. The wounded and the 
women and children were the first to fall victims to their bar- 
barity, but the more able-bodied did m t escape. It was com- 
puted that nearly 1500 were thus butchered. 

The fort was destroyed by Montcalm. Fort George was 
erected as a substitute for it, on a more commanding site, but 
was never the scene of any important action. Burgoyne de- 
posited most of his stores here in 1777. 

Many i teresting incidents also occurred during the French 
war, along the shores of the Horicon lake. At Sabbath-day 
Point, in 1756, a party of Provincial troops defeated a force of 
French and Indians, who attacked them. Here, too, Lord Am- 
herst, with his army, stopped on a Sabbath morning for re- 
freshment. 

Rogers' Rock, is noted as the place where that bold and fear- 
less partizan eluded the pursuit of the Indians, and gave them 
the impression that he had escaped down the face of the pre- 
cipice. 

The name of Piersorts Island, marks the spot where Eng- 
lish prisoners were confined during the French war. Howe's 
Point, the spot where that brave and much lamented young 
nobleman landed, immediately previous to the battle of Ticon- 
deroga, in which he was slain. 

The first settlement in the county was made about 1770, at 
Luzerne and Queensburgh. Johnsburgh was settled in 1790. 

The Jessup patent, in the southern part of the county, com- 



368 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

prised 40,000 acres of land. It was granted in 1774, to a large 
company. The town of Caldwell was founded by Mr. James 
Caldwell, a large landed proprietor. In most parts of the 
county the population is sparse. 

Villages. Caldwell, the shire town of the county, is de- 
lightfully situated on the southern extremity of Lake George. 
It abounds with interesting associations connected with the 
early history of this county? Population 300. 

B(<>< dy Pond, a short distance southeast of the village, com- 
memorates by its name the bloody conflict of September 6th, 
1755. The bodies of nearly 1000 of the slain, mostly French- 
men, were thrown into it. 

Glen's Falls, located on the north bank of the Hudson, in 
the town of Q,ueensburgh, was incorporated in 1839. It is 
largely engaged in the manufacture of marble, lime, and lum- 
ber. The marble is found on both sides of the jiver, and is 
highly prized for the beauty of its color, (black) and its free- 
dom from flaws. The falls at this place have a total descent of 
fifty feet, affording great hydraulic power, and presenting a 
picturesque and beautiful landscape. A bridge 600 leet in length 
crosses the river just above the falls. The navigable feeder 
of the Champlain canal passes through the village. Here is 
an incorporated academy, and a female seminary. Population 
2500. 

Chester, in the town of the same name, is a pleasant village, 
situated in the midst of a fertile country. The " Stone Bridge" 
in the northern part of the town of Chester, is a great natural 
curiosity. The stream which it crosses, enters the county from 
Essex, about thirty rods above the bridge, where it falls over a 
rocky precipice into a natural basin ; thence, turning to the east, 
it divides into two branches ; the northern passing under an arch 
of granite forty feet high and about eighty feet chord, diminish- 
ing in size as the stream descends ; this branch may be followed 
156 feet from the entrance ; the southern and larger branch forces 
its way through the rock, by a passage which is explored with 
great difficulty, being at times narrow and confined, and at 
others opening into caverns of great depth, and thirty or forty 
feet in diameter. At the distance of 247 feet from the entrance, 
the two streams, having united during their subterranean pas- 
sage, again make their appearance, beneath a precipice fifty- 
four feet high, which terminates the bridge. Tke arch on this 
side is five feet high and ten wide. 



XLVIIL OSWEGO COUNTY. 



Square miles, 923. 
Organized, 1816. 



Population, 48,441. 
Valuation, 1845, $5,33:2,085, 




1. Mexico, 1792. 

2. Red field, 1800. 

3. Williamstown, 1804. 

4. Volney, 1806. 

5. Hannibal, 1806. 

6. Richland, 1807. 

7. Constantia, 1808. 

8. Scriba, 1811. 

9. New Haven, 1813. 

10. Orwell, 1817. 

11. Oswego, 1818. 
Rivers, a. Oswego River. 



c. Salmon River. 
Falls. 



12. Granby, 1818. 

13. Hastings, 1825. 

14. Albion, 1825. 

15. Sandy Creek, 1825. 

16. Bovlston, 1828. 

17. Parish, 1828. 

18. Amboy, 1830. 

19. Palermo, 1832. 

20. Schroeppel, 1832. 

21. West Monroe, 1839. 

22. Greenboro, 1S44. 
i. Oneida Outlet, b. Little Sandy Creek. 

d. Salmon Creek, e. Deer Creek, h. Oswego 



Lakes and Bays. J. Ontario. Z. Oneida, k. Fish. 

f. Little andy Creek Bay. 
Battle Fields. Sacketts Harbor. 
Forts. Oswego. Ontario. 
Villages. Pulaski. Oswego. Fulton. Mexico. 



i. Mexico Bay. 



370 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Boundaries. North by Lake Ontario and Jefferson county i 
East by Lewis and Oneida ; South by Oneida Lake, Onondaga 
and Cayuga counties, and West by Cayuga and Lake Ontario. 

Surface. The southeastern, southern and western portions 
of the county are level, the interior rolling, and the northern 
portion rising into hills. A ridge, 110 feet in height, runs wes- 
terly through the county, about eight miles north of the south- 
ern boundary, forming the watershed or dividing line between 
the northern and southern waters. The Oswego breaks through 
this at the great falls at Fulton in the town of Volney. 

Rivers. The Oswego is the principal river of the county, 
The other important streams are Salmon river, Salmon creek, 
Little Sandy and Catfish creeks, flowing into Lake Ontario ; 
Scriba and Bay creeks, flowing into Oneida Lake, and Scott 
and Black creeks, tributaries of the Oswego. The west branch 
of Fish creek, from Oneida county, drains some of the eastern 
towns of this couity. 

Lakes, Bays, &c. Lake Ontario washes the whole north- 
western boundary of the county. Oneida lake forms nearly one- 
third of its southern boundary. Fish lake, and several other 
small ponds add to its picturesque beauty. Mexico bay is an 
indentation of Lake Ontario some ten miles broad. Little 
Sandy Creek bay is a small land-locked inlet from the lake 
in the northwestern part of the county. 

The Oswego canal, which connects the Erie canal with Lake 
Ontario, passes through the southwestern portion of the county, 
following the valley of the Oswego river. 

Climate. The climate, influenced by its proximity to the 
lake, is more uniform than in some of the other counties. Fruits 
thrive well. It is considered healthful. 

Geology and Minerals. The geological formations of 
this county are v ry simple. The basis rock is a slaty sand- 
stone, making its appearance on the surface in the northwest 
section of the county. Grey sandstone overlies this on the east, 
extending into Lewis county. Red sandstone comes next in 
order, and covers the southern portion of the county, except a 
narrow strip along the south border. The Clinton group, 
(limestone,) occurs in several sections of the county, but is gen- 
erally thickly covered with alluvial deposits. 

The county has no minerals of importance. There is a single locality of bog 
iron ore, and some weak brine springs, in the red sandstone formation. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally 
rich and fertile, but better adapted to grazing than the growing 
of grain. The timber is oak, pine, beech, basswood, ash, but- 
ternut and hemlock. The grass crops are very large and of fine 
quality. 



OSWEGO COUNTY. 371 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the in- 
habitants. The culture of grain and the rearing of cattle, 
sheep, and swine, each receive a large share of attention. The 
county is usually reckoned one of the first of the grazing coun- 
ties. Oats and corn are raised to a greater extent than wheat. 

Manufactures. Some attention is paid to manufactures, and 
such is the amount and convenience of the hydraulic power of 
the county, that we may anticipate a great increase in this re- 
spect, when the county becomes more fully settled. At present, 
flour, leather, and fulled cloths, are the principal articles pro- 
duced. 

Commerce. The commerce of this county is large, Oswego 
being one of the best ports on Lake Ontario. Much of the Can- 
ada trade enters the state from this direction, as well as that 
from Lake Erie by the Welland canal. The commerce on the 
canal is also very large.* 

Staple Productions. Butter, cheese, wool and oats. 

Schools. There are 272 district school-houses in the county. 
In 1846, schools were taught on an average eight months. 
17,143 children received instruction, at an expense of $17,838. 
The district libraries contained 24,511 volumes. 

There were in the county, twenty-two private schools, with 403 pupils, and three 
academies, with 178 students. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Dutch Reformed, and 
Roman Catholics. There are fifty-two churches, and seventy- 
two clergymen of all denominations in the county. 

History. In 1722, under the direction of Governor Burnet, 
a trading hous was erected at Oswego, on the east side of the 
river. In 1726, in order to prevent the encroachment of the 
French, Governor Burnet erected old Fort Oswego, on the 
west side of the river. In 1755, Fort Ontario, on the east side 
of the river, was constructed, under the direction of Governor 
Shirley. On the 14th ol August, 1756, both these forts, with a 
garrison of 1600 men, and a large quantity of ammunition, were 
surrendered to the French, under Montcalm, who had be- 
sieged them with a well appointed force of 5000 men, and met 
with stubborn and long continued resistance. 

In 1759, the pentagonal fort, called Fort Oswego, was built. 
The post was surrendered to the United States, by the British 
Government, by the treaty of 1794. 

During the late war, its garrison, commanded by Lieutenant 

* TABLE OF COMMERCE OF OSwEGO COUNTY. 

Tonnage enrolled and licensed, 1845, - tons, 11,410 

Flour shipped at Oswego, 1845, - - - - ' 44.560 

Property snipped for other states by way of Oswego, " 71,416 

Tolls on the Oswego canal, 1845, ...<■<■ $58,217 



372 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Colonel Mitchell, with an effective force of less than 300 men, 
sustained an attack from the British force, which consisted of 
more than 3000 troops, for two days, and finally retreated in 
good order, with a loss during the whole conflict of o ly forty- 
four in killed and wounded, while the loss of the enemy was 
235. The British, chagrined at their want of success, e acua- 
ted the fort in about twelve hours. 

Fort Oswego, on the east o c ' t 1 e river, occupies a station 

a little north of Fort Ontario, and has recently been repaired 
by the United States government. It is one of the most impor- 
tant military posts on the lake. 

The settlement of the county did not commence till after the 
Revolution. The towns west of Oswego riv r belonged to the 
Military Tract, and were granted by the state to officers and 
soldiers of the New York line. 

The townships on the east side of the river constitute a part 
of " Scriba's patent." These lands were originally granted by 
the state to Nicholas Roosevelt, of New York, but he not com- 
plyi ith the terms of the purchase, a large portion of them 
were sold to George Scriba, a native of Germany, and then an 
opule i merchant in New York. The town of Richland, part 

f Volney, and about o le half of Scriba, were purchased by 
Messrs. Alexander Hamilton, J. Lawrence, and J. B. Church. 

Villages. Oswego village, situated on ot sides of the 
Oswego river, in the towns of Oswego and Scriba, is the half 
shire town of the county. As the terminus of the Oswego ca- 
nal, it is a place of considerable importance, having an exten- 
sive forwarding trade. It has an inexhaustible water power, 
and is largely engaged in manufactures. Its flour ills are of 
great size. The harbor is artificial, and is formed by two piers, 
extendin from the mouth of the river, one 1250 feet long, the 
other 250. These were erected by the general government, at 
an expense of $93,000. The village is regularly laid out and 
well built. Population about 5000. 

Pulaski, the other county seat, is a small but thriving village, 
in the town of Richland. It has valuable water privileges, as 
yet but partially improved. Population 800. 

Mexico, in the town of the same name, is a thriving village, 
situated on Salmon creek. It has some manufactures, and an 
academy of some note. Population 600. 

Orweil. The falls of the Salmon river at this place are wor- 
thy of notice. The stream is about ten rods wide, and after 
rushing over rocks for about two miles, plunges perpendicularly 
107 feet. The banks of the stream are eighty feet high above 
the falls, and about 200 below them. 

Fulton is a large and busy village, in the town of Volney, en- 
gaged in manufactures, for which the falls in the Oswego, fur- 
nish ample facilities. Population 2400. 



XLIX. TOMPKINS COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 580. 
Organized, 1817. 



Population, 38,168. 
Valuation, 1845, $4,001,719. 



r_i vV/7 




1. Ulysses, 1801. 

2. Dryden, 1803. 

3. Caroline, 1811. 

4. Danby, 1811. 

5. Newfield, 1811. 
Rivers, a. Fall Creek. 



6. Hector, 1812. 

7. Groton, 1817. 

8. Lansing, 1817. 

9. Enfield, 1821. 
10. Ithaca. 1821. 

b. Salmon, c. Six Mile. e. Halsey's. 



Falls, f. Taghannuc falls in Ulysses. Falls at Ithaca. 
Lakes. BB. Seneca. DD. Cayuga. 
Villages. Ithaca. Trumansburgh. 

Boundaries. North by Seneca and Cayuga counties ; East 
by Cortland and Tioga ; South by Tioga and Chemung, and 
West by Chemung county and Seneca lake. 

Surface. Tompkins county forms a portion of the great table 
land of Western New York. Its southern portion is most ele- 
17 



374 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

vated, rising from 1200 to 1400 feet above tide water while on 
the shores of Cayuga and Seneca lakes it is 800 or 900 feet 
lower. 500 feet of this depression, however, occurs within two 
miles of the lakes, where the streams running northward fall 
over the ledge of the Chemung sandstone, which forms the limit 
of the highest terrace of the table land. 

Rivers, &c. Salmon, Fall, Six Mile, and Halsey's creek are 
the only streams of importance. By their rapid descent, they 
furnish extensive and valuable hydraulic privileges. 

Falls. The most remarkable falls in this county are the Tag- 
hannuc, upon Halsey's creek, at the distance of one mile from 
Cayuga lake. The whole descent, within a short distance, is 
300 feet. The water falls, in a single cascade, over a precipice 
216 feet in height, with a sheet of water sixty feet wide and two 
feet deep. The falls around Ithaca also possess great attrac- 
tions to the lover of the wonders of nature. Fall creek has a 
descent of 438 feet within one mile. On the Cascadilla, is a fall 
of 100 feet, in the form of a gigantic stairway r 

Lakes. Seneca lake forms a portion of the Western boun- 
dary of this county, while Cayuga lake indents it on the north 
for a distance of about eighteen miles. The scenery at the south- 
ern extremity of the latter is highly picturesque. 

Railroads. The Ithaca and Owego railroad extends from 
Ithaca to Owego, the county seat of Tioga county. It is 
twenty-nine and a half miles in length. The proposed route of 
the New York and Erie railroad is through this county. 

Climate. The climate of the county is mild and agreeable, 
modified in some degree, perhaps, by its proximity to the Sen- 
eca and Cayuga lakes. Fruits thrive here in great perfection. 
It is regarded as healthful. 

Geology and Minerals. The whole county, with the ex- 
ception of two small tracts on the shores of the Cayuga and 
Seneca lakes, in the towns of Lansing and Hector, belongs to 
the Erie group, and consists in the north, of the Ludlowville 
shales, and in the south of the Chemung sandstone. The two 
small tracts, to which we have referred, are patches of lime- 
stone, belonging to the Hamilton group, which appear, beneath 
the sandstone, near the shores of the lake. 

It has but few minerals. Marl and gypsum occur in considerable quantities. 
Calcareous tufa has been found, near Ithaca, investing moss, &c. and producing, in 
popular phraseology, petrifactions. There are two or three sulphur springs, of no 
great reputation, in the county. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is, from the 
geological structure of the rocks, highly fertile, and does not re- 
quire, in most parts, the addition of any fertilizing agent to 
maintain or increase its productiveness, the decomposed rocks 
affording a sufficient stimulus. The hills are productive to their 



TOMPKINS COUNTY. 375 

summits, and afford luxuriant grazing, while the valleys yield 
large crops of grain. Fruit is extensively and profitably cultiva- 
ted. The timber consists of oak, white and yellow pine, hem- 
lock, beech, maple, basswood, elm, ash, poplar, cherry and 
chestnut. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the in- 
habitants. Oats, corn, buckwheat, wheat and potatoes are 
raised in considerable quantities ; the products of the dairy are 
very large, and much wool is grown by the farmers. 

Manufacture* also occupy the attention of a considerable 
number of the inhabitants. Flour, oil, woollen goods, lumber, 
leather, distilled liquors, paper and potash, are the principal 
articles produced. The manufactures of the county in 1845, 
amounted to nearly one and a half millions of dollars. 

Commerce. Its commerce is quite extensive. By means of 
the lakes, it has a direct communication with the Erie canal, 
while by the Ithaca and Owego railroad the produce of the 
counties south of it, is brought to a market, and the manufactures 
of the county distributed over Tioga and Chemung counties, 
and northern Pennsylvania. 

Staples. Butter, cheese, wool, oats, buckwheat, wheat and 
potatoes. 

Schools. In 1846, there were in the county 215 district 
schools, which were in session an average period of eight 
months, furnishing instruction to 12,881 children, at an expense 
for tuition of $21,045. The number of volumes in the district 
libraries was 24,648. 

There were also seventeen private schools, with 497 scholars, and two acad- 
emies, with 231 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Unitarians, Dutch Re- 
formed, Universalists and Friends. The whole number of 
churches, is seventy-four; of clergymen, seventy-five. 

History. The towns of Newfield, Danby, and Caroline, 
were purchased of the state, by Messrs. Watkins and Flint. 
The remainder, (except a small portion in the northeastern 
part of the town of Dryden, which belonged to the ten town- 
ships granted to Massachusetts,) formed a portion of the Mili- 
tary Tract, and the settlers derived their titles through the sol- 
diers' patents. The county was organized in 1817, and was 
named in honor of the late Daniel D. Tompkins, formerly 
Governor of the state, and Vice President of the United States. 
Previous to the completion of the Erie canal, it was in a lan- 
guishing condition, but since the opening of the canal, its agri- 
cultural and manufacturing interests have greatly prospered. 



376 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Its early settlers were chiefly from New England. The found- 
ers of the town of Lansing, were Germans from Pennsylvania. 

Villages. Ithaca village, in the town of the same name, is 
the seat of justice for the county. It is situated partly on the 
alluvial flats bordering Cayuga lake, (from which it is about one 
and a half miles distant,) and partly upon the hills, which form a 
natural amphitheatre around it. It is regularly laid out, its 
buildings are neat and tasteful, and its streets well shaded. 

It is Hnely located lor trade, communicating freely by means of 
the lake and canal, with eastern and western New York, and 
by the railroad and the Susquehanna river, with the coal region 
of Pennsylvania. The completion of the Erie railroad will still 
further increase its facilities for business. Its lumber trade is 
very great. 

In available hydraulic power for manufacturing purposes, it 
is second to no village in New York. It is already largely en- 
gaged in manufacturing. Here is located an incorporated acad- 
emy, with spacious buildings, for the instruction of both sexes, 
a large Lancasterian school, and numerous select schools, in a 
flourishing condition. Population, 4200. 

Trumansburgh, in the town of Ulysses, is a flourishing vil- 
lage, with some manufactories. Population, 1000. 

Danby, in the town of the same name, is a thriving village. 
Population, 500. 

Drydm, in the town of the same name, Burdette, in the 
town of Hector, Ludlowville, in the town of Lansing, and New- 
field, in the town of the same name, are villages of some im- 
portance. 



L. ERIE COUNTY. 

Square miles, 876. Population, 78,635. 

Organized, 1821. Valuation, 1845, $11,831,969. 




1. Newstead, 1804. 

2. Aurora, 1804. 

3. Clarence, 1808. 



TOWNS. 

4. Buffalo, 1810. 

5. Eden, 1812. 

6. Concord, 1812. 



378 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

7. Hamburgh, 1812. 15. Alden, 1823. 

8. Boston, 1812. 16. Golden, 1827. 

9. Amherst, 1818. 17. Lancaster, 1833. 

10. Holland, 1818. 18. Black Rock, 1837. 

11. Wales, 1818. 19. Brandt, 1838. 

12. Collins, 1821. 20. Chictawaga, 1838. 

13. Evans, 1821. 21. Tonawanda, 1838. 

14. Sardinia, 1821. 

Rivers, fyc. M. Niagara river, b. Ellicott's creek, d. Seneca. 

f. Cattaraugus g. Cauquaga. h. Two Sisters, e. Cazenove. 

1. Buffalo, n. Cayuga, p. Murder Creek, r. Tonawanda Creek. 
Lakes. L. Erie. 
Islands. W. Grand Island. 
Battle Fields. Lake Erie. Buffalo. 
Cities and Villages. Buffalo. Black Rock. Williamsville. 

Springville. Auroraville. 

Boundaries. North by Niagara county ; East by Genesee 
and Wyoming ; South by Cattaraugus and Chautauque coun- 
ties ; and West by Lake Erie and Niagara river. 

Surface. This county lies upon the great western plain. Its 
northern half is level or gently undulating ; the southern is hilly, 
particularly along the streams; the dividing ridge which sepa- 
rates the waters flowing northward, from the tributaries of Cat- 
taraugus creek, passes through the southern tier of towns. 

Rivers. The county is well watered; Tonawanda creek 
forms its northern boundary. Its principal tributaries are Mur- 
der and Ellicott's, or Eleven mile, creeks. Buffalo creek, formed 
by the union of Seneca, Cayuga, and Cazenove creeks, waters 
the central portion of the county. The other streams are 
smaller: the principal are Cauquaga, or Eighteen mile, Two 
Sisters, Delaware, and Little Buffalo creeks. 

Lake Erie forms a portion of its western boundary. 

Grand Island, in the Niagara river belongs to this county. 

Climate. From its proximity to the lake, the climate is 
moist, warmer in winter and cooler in summer, than some other 
portions of the state. The vegetation is from eight to ten days 
earlier than in the same parallels in the eastern part of the 
state. 

Geology and Minerals. The Onondaga salt group, (lime- 
stone,) is the basis rock of this county. .It appears on the sur- 
face in the northern tier of towns. The Helderberg series suc- 
ceed this in the towns of Buffalo, Chictawaga, Lancaster and 
Alden, and these in their turn give place to the Hamilton group 
of limestones. In the southern half of the county, the Casha- 
qua, or Ludlowville shales, and the Chemung sandstones form 
the surface rocks. 



ERIE COUNTY. 379 

The limestone is extensively quarried in the neighborhood of Niagara river and 
the Lake. It is not, however, generally susceptible of a high polish, but makes a 
fine building material, when hammer-dressed. Water limestone is found on 
Grand Island. Petroleum springs rise a few miles southeast of Cayuga creek. 
Iron pyrites, copper ores in small quantities, and water limestone are the principal 
minerals. There is a sulphur spring about four miles from Buffalo, and one on 
Grand Island, containing free sulphuric acid in a very diluted state. The bitumin- 
ous shale, in which the petroleum springs rise, is so thoroughly impregnated with 
bitumen that it burns freely when ignited. Geodes, or masses of impure lime- 
stone, exhibiting fantastic and singular forms, occur in this as well as in some of 
the other counties. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally 
good, consisting of warm, sandy, gravelly loam, occasionally 
mingled with clay, and well adapted to wheat ; in the southern 
part it is more clayey, and is very productive of grass. 

The timber is large and abundant in the southern part, con- 
sisting of oak, beech, maple, linden, elm, ash, poplar, hemlock, 
white pine, butternut, black walnut, wild cherry, &c. In the 
north it is principally diminutive oaks and underwood. The 
peach and other fruits attain extraordinary size and per- 
fection. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the in- 
habitants. The culture of grain and of grass occupy nearly 
equal attention. 

Manufactures also form the occupation of a large number of 
the inhabitants. Flour, lumber, cloths, iron, leather, malt 
liquors, distilled liquors and potash, are the principal articles 
manufactured. The flour mills produced, in 1845, flour to the 
value of more than a million of dollars. The entire value of the 
manufactures of the county, during the same year, was over 
$2,300,000. 

The commerce of Erie county is very extensive. Buffalo and 
Black Rock, the principal lake ports, carry on a large trade with 
all the states situated upon the upper lakes, and with Canada. 
The shipping of these ports amounted, in 1845, to 25,000 tons. 
In addition to this, the immense quantities of produce, manufac- 
tures and furniture transported on the Erie canal and its branch- 
es, are here transhipped. 

Staple Productions. Butter, cheese, oats, wheat, corn, 
wool, beef and pork. 

Schools. There are in the county 291 school districts. In 
1846, the schools were taught on an average eight months. 
The same year, 24,523 children received instruction at an ex- 
pense of 1^30,539. The district school libraries contained 31,032 
volumes. 

There were fifty-seven private schools, with 1304 pupils; and three acade- 
mies, with 244 students. The school system of Buffalo has been already descri- 
bed, (see page 125.) 



380 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists, Roman Catholics, Friends, Episco- 
palians, Universalists, Dutch Reformed, Unitarians and Lu- 
therans. There are in the county ninety-four churches, and 
one hundred and twenty-five clergymen, of all denominations. 

History. The whole county, except a strip a mile wide, on 
the Niagara river, is within the limits of the Holland Land 
Company's purchase. 

Its settlement dates since the commencement of the present 
century. Buffalo, the first town in the present limits of the 
county, was laid out in 1S01, but its increase was very slow until 
1812, when it became a military post. In December, 1813, the 
British made a descent upon this county, and burned Buffalo 
and Black Rock. These villages were soon rebuilt. 

In 1816-17, a number of persons from Canada and the United 
States took possession of Grand Island, in Niagara river, now 
forming a portion of the town of Tonawanda,-and dividing the 
land between themselves, gave out that they were an independ- 
ent community, and amenable to neither government. After 
the question of the boundary was settled, they were expelled by 
force, under the authority of a law of the state ; their houses 
being destroyed by the sheriff and posse of Erie county. 

In 1825, Major Noah, of New York, a learned Jew, and editor 
of a newspaper in that city, formed the design of building a city 
of refuge, upon that island, colonizing it with Jews, and making 
it a resting place for that dispersed people. He erected a mon- 
ument, which is still in existence, upon the island. But the Eu- 
ropean Rabbins did not sanction the scheme, and it failed of 
completion. 

Red Jacket, Sagoyouwatha, or Keeper Awake, as his name 
signifies, the most eloquent and intelligent of his nation, was one 
of the chiefs of the Senecas, and resided on the Buffalo reserva- 
tion. He was warmly attached to his tribe, and opposed the 
whites with the utmost daring, until he saw that resistance was 
vain. He died in 1832. 

Mary Jemison, the Seneca white woman, was buried in this 
reservation. 

The completion of the Erie canal, in 1825, brought a vast tide 
of emigration into this county, and it has now become the fourth 
county in the state in population. 

Cities and Villages. Buffalo city, the county seat of Erie 
county, as has been already stated, is a city of modern growth, 
laid out at the commencement of the present century, and con- 
tained in 1817, but one hundred houses. It owes its growth to 
its advantageous commercial position on the lake, rendering it 
the depot of the immense quantities of produce, which find their 



ERIE COUNTY. 381 

way through that channel, from the boundless prairies of the 
west, to tide water, and to the great western railroad which 
connects with Boston. 

In 1845, the amount of produce coming from other states by 
way of Buffalo, was 233,135 tons, of which 118,614 tons were 
flour. Probably about one half this amount of goods, furniture, 
&c. was shipped at Buffalo, for other states. The tolls receiv- 
ed at Buffalo, in 1845, amounted to $482,000. 

The harbor of Buffalo is spacious and convenient for vessels 
of light draught : it is obstructed by the ice in the spring, till a 
later period than the ports on the Canada side. It has been 
proposed to construct a ship canal across the isthmus, from the 
lake to Buffalo creek, which would in a measure obviate this 
difficulty. 

The United States government have expended nearly 
$100,000 in the improvement of this harbor, the construction of 
a mole, pier, &c. and the erection of a light house. Considera- 
ble sums have also been expended, for the same purpose, by the 
citizens. Buffalo is largely engaged in manufactures of various 
descriptions. The present population of the city is somewhat 
over 30,000. It was chartered as a city in 1832. 

Black Rock, a village in the town of the same name, is about 
three miles north of Buffalo, on the Niagara river. The harbor 
is formed by an immense stone pier, or mole, more than a mile 
in length. By means of this the Erie canal is supplied with wa- 
ter for nearly half its length. This work was erected by the 
state of New York, at an expense of $300,000. It also furnishes 
a fine water power, which is employed for flouring mills, saw- 
mills, &c. Black Rock is extensively engaged in manufactures. 
The lower or northern terminus of the Erie canal is here: the 
town increases rapidly in population, and now numbers about 
5000 inhabitants. It was burned by the British in December, 
1813. 

Auroraville, in the town of Aurora, possesses fine water 
power on the Cazenove creek, as yet, however, not fully im- 
proved. The Aurora seminary is a flourishing institution. 
Population, 1000. 

Williamsville, in the town of Amherst, is a thriving village. 
Large quantities of water lime, (hydraulic cement,) are manu- 
factured here. Population, about 1000. 

Springville is a flourishing manufacturing village, in the 
town of Concord. It has a number of factories, and an incorpo- 
rated academy. Population, 1200. 

Tonawanda is a new town, comprising Grand Island and a 
portion of the main land, as well as some other small islands. 
The island was purchased some years since by a company called 
17* 



384 



STATE OF NEW YORK 



Geology and Minerals. About two-thirds of the county, 
upon the north, belong to the Ontario group, consisting princi- 
pally of the limestone of the Onondaga salt group, which, in 
some cases, approaches very near the surface. In the southern 
portion, the Ludlowville and Cashaqua shales are the prevail- 
ing rocks, though intermingled with limestone. 

Bog iron ore occurs in the county. Gypsum is abundant. Some brine springs 
have been discovered, though not of great value. The sulphur springs of Avon* 
have a high and deserved celebrity, in numerous diseases, and rank among the 
best sulphur springs in the United States. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally 
highly fertile, and well adapted to the growth of grain. In the 
north it consists principally of sandy loam, intermingled with de- 
composed limestone, which renders it perpetually fertile. 

In the north, the oak prevails, but is occasionally interspersed 
with other timber ; in the south, oak, maple, elnv, basswood, but- 
ternut, walnut, ash, hemlock, white pine, &c, are the principal 
forest trees. 

Pursuits. Agriculture. The culture of grain, and the rear- 
ing of cattle and swine, form the principal pursuits of the inhab- 
itants of this county. Manufactures are, however, rising in 



* The following are analyses of the sulphur springs of Avon. That of the Up- 
per spring was made by Professor Hadley, of Fairfield, and that of the Lower, by 
Dr. S. Salisbury, Jr. of Avon. 



UPPER SPRING. 

Carbonate of lime, • 
Sulphate of lime, - 

magnesia, - 
" soda, - 

Muriate of soda, • 

Amount of saline ingredients. 
One gallon contains per volume. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen, 

Carbonic acid gas, ...... 

Gases, 



Grains. 

8 
84 
10 
16 
18.4 

136.4 

cub. in. 

12 
• 5.6 

17.6 



LOWER SPRING 



Carbonate of lime, - 
Chloride of calcium, 
Sulphate of lime, 

" magnesia. 

" soda, 



Amount of saline ingredients. 



Carbonic acid gas, 
Sulphuretted hydrogen, 
Nitrogen, 
Oxygen, - 



Gases, 



LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 385 

importance. The principal articles manufactured are flour, pa- 
per, lumber, distilled liquors, cloths, &c. 

Commerce. The Genesee Valley canal furnishes a conven- 
ient mode of transportation, for the produce of the county, to tide 
water. There are no mines in the county. 

Staple Productions. Wheat, pork, and cattle are the great 
staples of the county. Large quantities of butter, wool, oats, 
and corn are also exported. Hemp and flax are grown largely 
in the Genesee valley. 

Schools. There are 193 school-houses in this county. The 
schools were taught, on an average, nine months during the 
year 1846, and 12,677 children were instructed, at an expense of 
$19,502. There were 25, 121 volumes in the district libraries. 

There were twenty-four private schools, with 1 36 pupils, and three academies, 
with 165 students. 

Religious Denominations. Presbyterians, Methodists, Bap- 
tists, Episcopalians, Dutch Reformed, Universalists, Unitari- 
ans, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, and 
Jews. There are seventy-two churches, and ninety-two cler- 
gymen of all denominations. 

History. The banks of the Genesee river in this county, 
were the favorite residence of the Seneca Indians, for a long 
period before the white man had trod that beautiful valley. In 
civilization, this tribe were more advanced than the Indians gen- 
erally, and were considered foremost in the arts of peace, among 
the allied tribes. They cultivated their fields, built cabins for 
themselves, and when they could not obtain a supply of food 
from the forests or the lakes, looked to the products of their 
soil for sustenance. 

In 1687, the Marquis de Nonville, governor of Canada, en- 
raged at the firm adherence of this tribe to the English, collect- 
ed a large force of French and Indians, and commenced an ex- 
pedition against them. Following the course of the Genesee, 
he approached their villages with the intention of destroying 
them, and subjecting the captives he might take to the torture; 
but the wily Senecas were too crafty for the French commander. 
They stationed 500 warriors in ambuscade on his route, and 
having thrown his troops into disorder, by a well directed vol- 
ley of musketry, rushed upon them, tomahawk in hand. The 
battle was fierce and bloody ; the Senecas were at length re- 
pulsed, but not without severe loss on the part of the French. 
De Nonville could not be persuaded to follow them till the next 
day, and then found that they had destroyed their villages, and 
removed their wives and children beyond his reach. Two old 
men, all that remained, were carried away, killed and eaten by 
his savage allies. 



386 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

De Nonville returned to Canada, establishing, in his route, a 
fort at Niagara, which he garrisoned with 100 men. This fort 
was so closely invested by the Indians, that eighty-eight out. of 
the hundred perished from starvation, and but for the aid of a 
party of friendly Indians, the rest would have shared the same 
fate. 

In 1779, General Sullivan terminated his campaign on the 
banks of the Genesee, in this county, after sending a detach- 
ment to Little Beardstown, now Leicester. It was in this town 
that the brave Lieutenant Boyd met with his melancholy fate, 
being executed with the most horrible tortures by the Indians, 
at the instigation of the infamous Butler, after his life had been 
guarantied by Brant. 

Ebenezer Allen, known as Indian Allen, the first miller of 
Rochester, a monster of wickedness, settled here soon after the 
revolution, but in a few years removed. 

The principal founders and benefactors of the county were 
William and James Wadsworth, who emigrated from Connec- 
ticut in 1790. They purchased large tracts of land, which, by 
the rapid tide of immigration, soon became very valuable. Many 
of the early settlers were from Connecticut, and their enterprise 
and industry has made them wealthy. 

Villages. Geneseo, in the town of the same name, is the 
seat of justice for the county. It is pleasantly situated, about a 
mile from the river, on the terrace back of the flats. It is well 
built, and has considerable trade. The Geneseo academy, for- 
merly the Livingston county high school, of which Mr. Wads- 
worth was the chief benefactor, is located here. It has a spa- 
cious building, and is well endowed. 

In this town are situated the Wadsworth farms, located on 
the broad alluvial flats of the Genesee, and celebrated for their 
fertility and superior cultivation. The mansion of the late 
James Wadsworth is, perhaps, unsurpassed in the state for the 
beauty of its location. Population 1600. 

Avon, in the town of the same name, has become a favorite 
resort of late for invalids and pleasure seekers, from all sec- 
tions of the country. The healing virtues of its justly cele- 
brated springs were known to the Senecas, long before the 
country was visited by the whites. Red Jacket, a distinguished 
Seneca chief, was accustomed to resort to them. Population 
800. 

Upon the Genesee flats in this town, the Mechoacan, wild potatoe vine, or man 
of the ground, (Convolvulus panduratus,) is found abundantly. It has a large 
bulbous root, three or four feet in length, and frequently six or eight inches in di- 
ameter. It is a mild cathartic, resembling rhubarb in its effects. 

There is a pond on the flats irregularly circular in form, a neck of land runs into 
it and expands within the circle, and upon this are remains of Indian fortifications. 



LIVINGSTON COUNTY. 387 

Lima, situated in the town of the same name, is a beautiful 
village, remarkable for the neatness of its dwellings. The Gen- 
esee Wesleyan seminary, located here, is under the control of 
the Methodists. It was incorporated in 1834, and placed under 
the visitation of the Regents of the University in 1836. It is 
well endowed, and in a highly flourishing condition. Popula- 
tion 600. 

Mount Morris, in the town of the same name, is a finely sit- 
uated, thriving village, settled in 1804, by emigrants from Con- 
necticut. It is considerably engaged in manufactures. Popula- 
tion 1400. 

Dansville, in the town of North Dansville, at the head of the 
Genesee valley, forty-five miles from Rochester, is a large, 
thriving and busy village. It is extensively engaged in manu- 
factures, and has an abundant supply of hydraulic power. Pa- 
per, flour, leather, iron, cloth, and lumber, in large quantities, are 
among its principal manufactures. A branch of the Genesee 
Valley canal extends to this village. Population 1800. 

Nunda, in the town of the same name, on the proposed 
line of the Genesee Valley canal, is a place of considerable 
business. It has a flourishing academy, and several manu- 
factories. The town in which it is situated was annexed to 
Livingston county, by the legislature, in 1846. Population 
1100. 

Portageville is in the town of Portage, on the west bank of 
the Genesee river, where it enters the gorge, and is surrounded 
by beautiful and picturesque scenery. It has great facilities for 
manufacturing. This town, like the preceding, was taken 
from Allegany in 1846. The falls and tunnel here are worthy 
of notice. Population about 1 000. 



LI1. MONROE COUNTY. 



Square miles, 607. 
Organized, 1821. 



Population, 70,899. 
Valuation, 1845, $14,351,436. 




1. Chili, 1802. 

2. Gates, 1802. 

3. Greece, 1802. 

4. Parma, 1808. 

5. Riga, 1808. 

6. Penfield, 1810. 

7. Mendon, 1812. 

8. Perrinton, 1812. 

9. Sweden, 1813. 
10. Brighton, 1814. 

Rivers. N.Genesee, a. Sandy Creek, b. Black Creek. C.Allen. 

d. Honeoye. e Salmon, f. Little Salmon, h. Irondequoit. 
Falls, p. Genesee Falls. Honeoye Falls. 



11. Pittsford, 1814. 

12. Ogden, 1817. 

13. Rochester, 1817. 

14. Henrietta, 1818. 

15. Rush, 1818. 

16. Clarkson, 1819. 

17. Wheatland, 1821. 

18. Irondequoit, 1837. 

19. Webster, 1838. 



MONROE COUNTY 



389 



Lakes and Bays. J. Ontario, i. Teoronto, or Irondequoit Bay. j. 

Braddock's Bay. k. Duck Pond. I. Long Pond. 
Cities and Villages. Rochester. Pittsford. Brockport. 

Boundaries. North by Lake Ontario ; East by Wayne coun- 
ty; South by Ontario and Livingston counties, and West by 
Genesee and Orleans counties. 

Surface. This county, like Orleans and Niagara, is divided 
into terraces by the Ridge-Road, and the mountain ridge, which 
cross it from east to west. The surface as a whole declines 
gradually towards the lake. The terrace, at Rochester, is 270 
feet above Lake Ontario, and sixty-four feet below the upper 
terrace, which is nearly on a level with Lake Erie. 

On the shores of Irondequoit bay, and Irondequoit creek, are numerous conical 
sand hills, sometimes single, at others united, and rising to an average height of 
200 feet. 

Rivers. The Genesee is the principal stream. Its tribu- 
taries are the Honeoye creek, from the east, and Black, and 
Allen's creeks, from the West. 

Sandy, Salmon, Little Salmon, Rush, and Irondequoit creeks, 
flow directly into the lake. 

Bays. Teoronto or Irondequoit Bay, Duck Pond, Long Pond, 
and Braddock's, or Bradlow's Bay, are the principal of the nu- 
merous inlets of e lake, upon the coast of this county. 

The name of the first (Teoronto) is of Indian origin, and signifies " the place 
where the waves gasp and expire." 

Climate. The climate of this county, influenced by the near- 
ness to the lake, is mild and equable, and the thermometer 
has a less average range, than in most parts of the state. Pul- 
monary affections are, however, becoming increasingly preva- 
lent. 

Geology and Minerals. The basis rock of the county is the 
Medina sandstone, which is widely expanded, and makes its ap- 
pearance at the surface along the shore of the lake. Above this 
lies the Clinton group, thinner than in Wayne ; next the Niag- 
ara group, abounding in fossils ; next the Onondaga salt group, 
which is well developed in some parts of the county, and con- 
tains numerous beds of gypsum. 

There are several salt springs in the county, but the brine is not sufficiently 
strong to render them valuable. Sulphur springs are numerous, but few of them 
are visited. The Monroe springs, five miles from Rochester, are the most cele- 
brated. There are also springs strongly impregnated with sulphur in the town of 
Ogden. There is a mineral spring at Riga containing iron. 

Marl is abundant in Wheatland, Chili, and Riga. Gypsum occurs in large 
quantities in Wheatland. A bed of argillaceous iron ore extends from the Gen- 
esee river to the eastern limit of the county, but it is little worked. 

Blende and galena, the sulphurets of lead and zinc, are also found in the county 
in small quantities. Fire stone, a magnesian earth used for lining stoves and 



390 



STATE OP NEW YORK 



fire-places, is found abundantly in Ogden and Sweden. There is some limestone 
suitable for building. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is gravelly 
loam, usually of great depth, and by the aid of disintegrated 
limestone, is rendered perpetually fertile. 

Ti e timber is mainly oak, beech, and maple, frequently very 
dense, but in the oak openings more sparse. In the swamps 
are black oak, pine, and tamarack. 

The Genesee wheat, so abundantly raised in this county, is found, on analysis, 
to contain more saccharine matter than that of the southern states, and to com- 
bine with less water in the composition of bread. The superiority of its flour is 
too well known to need remark. 

Pursuits. Agriculture holds a high rank among the pur- 
suits of the people of this county. It is the largest grain county 
in the state. In 1845, there were raised in the county 1,338,000 
bushels of wheat; besides large quantities of other grains. 

Manufactures are also in a highly flourishing condition. 
The county contains, perhaps, the largest flouring mills in the 
world, and produces flour annually to the value of more than 
two and a half mi, lions of dollars. Lumber, cloths, iron, pa- 
per, and leather are also extensively manufactured. 

Commerce. A steamer plies on the Genesee, between Ro- 
chester and Avon, in Livingston county. Steamers from the 
lake ascend the Genesee to Carthage, which is the port of Ro- 
chester ; the Erie canal receives a large portion of its immense 
freights from this county. There are no wines of importance. 

The Staple Production is wheat. Considerable quantities 
of butter, wool, and pork are also produced. 

Schools. There are in the county 240 school-houses. The 
schools were taught, during the year 1846, an average period 
of nine months. 19,448 children received instruction, at a cost 
of $33,994. The libraries of the districts contained 34,468 vol- 
umes. 

There were sixteen private schools in the county, attended by 297 children, and 
eight academies and female seminaries, with 432 pupils. 

The organization of the Rochester city schools has been described at page 125. 
The Rochester university was incorporated in 1846. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Presby- 
terians, Congregationalists, Friends, Universalists, Episcopa- 
lians, Roman Catholics, Unitarians, Dutch Reformed, and Lu- 
therans. 

History. This county was settled principally by emigrants 
from New England, with a few from other states, and other 
sections of New York. 

In 1726, a station was established at Teoronto or Ironde- 
quoit bay, to secure the Indian trade. 

In 1796, the first permanent settlement was made at Han- 
ford's landing, where was erected the first house in this county, 



MONROE COUNTY. 391 

west of Genesee river. Indian Allen, so notorious in the his- 
tory of this region, erected a grist mill and saw mill on the 
hundred acre lot on which part of the city of Rochester now 
stands, in 1789, receiving a deed of a hundred acres of land ad- 
joining, from Messrs. Phelps and Gorham, the proprietors, for 
his encouragement. 

In a few years, these decayed and were abandoned. Roches- 
ter was not settled till 1811, and was laid out as a village in 
1812. 

In 1813, the Seneca Indians held a great sacrifice and thanks- 
giving of several days continuance, on the present site of Ro- 
chester. 

The terror inspired by the incursions of the British and their 
savage allies, during the late war, prevented the rapid settle- 
ment of the county.* After the close of that war, however, its 
growth was astonishingly rapid. The completion of the Erie 
canal, by opening a market for the productions of its fertile soil, 
gave a new impulse to its prosperity, and it is now one of the 
most populous counties in the state. 

Cities and Villages. Rochester city lies on both sides of 
the Genesee river, seven miles from Lake Ontario. It is finely 
situated and handsomely built. The streets are generally wide 
and well paved. The two sections of the city are connected by 
several bridges, and by the splendid aqueduct of the Erie canal. 
It has many fine edifices, among its churches and public build- 
ings^ 

* In 1814, Sir James Yeo, with thirteen vessels of various sizes, appeared off the 
mouth of the Geftesee river, threatening the destruction of the infant settlement. 
There were but thirty-three people in Rochester capable of bearing arms. They 
assembled, together with the few who could be gathered from the other settlements, 
and hurried down to the mouth of the river. The militia were undisciplined and 
not in uniform, but they were brave and determined. They were marched and 
counter-marched through the woods, in order to deceive the enemy in regard to 
their numbers. Presently an officer was sent from the British fleet with a flag of 
truce. He was received by ten of the most soldier-like of the militia, who, in order 
to be ready for action, kept fast hold of the triggers of their muskets. The Brit- 
ish officerexpressing his surprise at this, the officer, to rectify his mistake, order- 
ed his men to ground arms. This astonished the British officer still more, and 
believing their ignorance to be feigned, he hurried back to the fleet, fully satisfied 
that a plot was laid for them. 

In the afternoon of the same day another officer was sent with a flag of truce, 
the object of the enemy being, if possible, to obtain the provisions stored there, 
without endangering their own safety. Captain Francis Brown was deputed with 
a guard to receive the flag. The officer was still suspicious, and finally asked that 
the military stores and provisions should be given up, on Ihe condition that the set- 
tlements were spared by Sir James Yeo. " No," was the prompt reply of the 
patriotic Brown, " Blood knee deep first." While this parley was in progress, an 
American officer with his staff, on their return from Fort Niagara, were accident- 
ally seen, passing from one wooded point to another. This confirmed the suspi- 
cions of the British officer, and on his return to the fleet, a vigorous attack was 
made upon the woods with bomb shells and balls, which were returned with some 
effect by a rusty old six pounder, which had been furbished and remounted for 
the occasion. 

After a few hours, Admiral Yeo slipped his cables and ran down to Pulteneyville, 
where, to his mortification, he learned how he had been outwitted by a handful of 
militia. 



392 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

This city owes its rapid growth to the vast hydraulic power 
created by the falls of the Genesee river, which amount to 268 
feet within the bounds of the city, there being three falls of 
ninety-six, twenty, and 105 feet, besides rapids. The passage 
of the Erie canal through the city, and the navigability of the 
Genesee river, above and below the falls, render it a central 
point for the immense trade of the fertile counties by which it is 
surounded. 

ester was laid out in 1812 by Nathaniel Rochester, 
Charles Carrol and William Fitzhugh, and received the name 
of the senior proprietor. In 1816 it numbered but 331 inhabit- 
ants; and in 1817 it was incorporated as a village, under the 
name of Rochesterville. In 1834 it received a charter as a city, 
and now (1846) has a population of more than 25,000 inhab- 
itants.* 

The quantity, as well as the quality of the flour manufactured 
here, entitle the city to rank among the first flour markets in the 
world. Between one and two millions of dollars are invested 
in this business. 

Brockport, a village in the town of Sweden, is pleasantly sit- 
uated on the line of the canal. It has a large trade, particularly 
in grain. The collegiate school edifice, erected by the citizens 
at an expense of §25,000, is a noble stone building, five stories 
high. Population 2000. 

Wheatland is appropriately named ; the fertility of its soil 
and its adaptation to the culture of grain is such as to render it 
the granary of the county. It is rich also in gypsum and marl. 

Scottsville, in this town, was founded by Isaac Scott, in 1800. 
It is a thriving village, and has some manufactures. Popula- 
tion 600. 

Mumfordsville and Garbellsmills are small villages in the 
town. 

West Mendon, in the town of Mendon, is a manufacturing 
village of some importance. 

Port Genesee, at the mouth of the Genesee river, in the 
town of Greece, has a customhouse, lighthouse, several large 
warehouses, &c. Its harbor is good, having thirty feet water 
within the bar. It has some trade. 

Pittsford, in the town of the same name, is a thriving village 
on the canal. Population 800. 

* About the commencement of the present century, it was proposed in the leg- 
islature of New York, to build a bridge across the Genesee river, at the present 
site of Rochester. The project was strongly opposed, and one member remarked 
that it was "a God-forsaken place, inhabited only by muskrats, and visited only 
by straggling trappers, through which neither man nor beast could gallop without 
fear of starvation, or fever and ague." 



Square miles, 320. 
Organized, 1823. 



LIII. YATES COUNTY. 

Population, 20,777. 
Valuation, $4,207,936. 



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•s 



TOWNS 

1. Jerusalem, 17S9. 5. Milo, 1813. 

2. Middlesex, 1789. 6. Bamngton, 1822. 

3. Benton, 1803. 7. Starkey, 1824. 

4. Italy, 1815. 8. Potter, 1832. 

Rivers, a. Crooked Lake Outlet, c. Big Stream, e. Flint Creek. 

f. West. 
Lakes. BB. Seneca, h. Canandaigua. m. Crooked. 
Villages. PennYan. Rushville. Bellona. Dresden. 

Boundaries. North by Ontario county ; East by Seneca lake ; 
South by Steuben county, and West by Crooked and Cananda- 
igua lakes, and Ontario county. 

Surface. The surface of this county is greatly elevated. It 
lies on the northern declivity of tl e ridge which separates the 
waters of the Susquehanna from those flowing into the lakes 
and the St. Lawrence. The southern extremity of the county 
is elevated from 1200 to 1300 feet above tide water, and in the 
town of Barrington attains the height of 1600 feet. From this 
height it descends to the surface of the Canandaigua and Sen- 
eca°lakes-the former of which is 670, and the latter about 420 
feet above the level of the ocean. 



394 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

The hills, however, are never abrupt, but generally gently 
waving, and rounded at their summits. 

Rivers and Creeks. The principal streams of the county are 
Flint creek, Crooked lake outlet, connecting Crooked and Sen- 
eca lakes; West river, a tributary of Canandaigua lake, and 
Big and Rock streams flowing into Seneca lake. The Crooked 
lake canal follows the course of the outlet. 

Lakes. Seneca lake forms the entire eastern boundary of the 
county. Two-thirds of Crooked lake lie within its limits, and 
Canandaigua lake forms its northwestern boundary. 

Climate. The climate is temperate and healthful, and lor the 
cultivation of fruit is not surpassed by that of any county in the 
stale. 

Geology and Minerals. The Ludlowville shale is the pre- 
vailing rock, and approaches the surface in the southern part 
of the county. The soil above this is a marly clay, highly 
fertile, and particularly favorable to grass crops.. The northern 
portion of the county belongs to the great central limestone for- 
mation, but the limestone alternates with slate. 

Sulphate of iron (copperas) is found native in the eastern part of the county. 
There is a valuable sulphur spring near the foot of Crooked lake. An inflamma- 
ble gas spring has been discovered near Rushville, and a very productive brine 
spring has been found at the Big stream falls, near Dundee, in the town of Starkey. 

Vegetable Productions. The timber of the county is large, 
but not so dense as in some other sections. It consists of oak, 
hickory, chestnut, black and white walnut, wild cherry, maple, 
beech, linden, poplar, ash, &c. The apple, pear, plum, cherry, 
melons and grapes, are all very successfully cultivated here. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the in- 
habitants — the elevated and diversified surface of the county 
renders it well adapted to grazing. In portions of it, however, 
grain is successfully cultivated. 

Manufactures are attracting some attention. The principal 
articles manufactured are flour, lumber, woollen cloths, oil, dis- 
tilled liquors and leather. 

The commerce of the county is confined to lake and canal nav- 
igation, and is not very extensive. There are no mines of im- 
portance. 

Staple Productions. Wheat, oats, corn, barley, butter, 
wool and pork. 

Schools. There are in the county 106 public school houses. 
In these, schools were taught an average period of seven months, 
in 1S46. The number of volumes in the district libraries is 
13,644; 6536 children were instructed during the year, at an 
expense of $8789. 

There were in the county eighteen private schools, with 218 pupils, and one 
academy, with twenty-six scholars. 



YATES COUNTY. 395 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
ians, Episcopalians, Congregationalists and Dutch Reformed. 
There are forty- five churches, and forty-one clergymen, of all 
denominations, in the county. 

History. This county was entirely included in the Massa- 
chusetts grant, and formed a portion of the Pulteney estate. 
The first inhabitants were from New England and Pennsylvania. 

This county was the residence of the celebrated Jemima Wil- 
kinson, during the latter part of her life.* 

Villages, &c. Penn Yan, the seat of justice for the county, 
is a village in the town of Milo. It is pleasantly situated at the 
foot of Crooked lake, and received its name from the circum- 
stance that its original inhabitants were Pennsylvanians and 
Yankees, in equal numbers. Population 2500. 

Jerusalem, one of the earliest settled towns in the county, 
is fertile and well cultivated. Bluff point is a high bold tongue 
of land extending between the arms of Crooked lake. The 
landscape, which spreads itself before the beholder, from this 
lofty headland, is one of the most picturesque and beautiful 
afforded by the scenery of the smaller lakes. 

Starkey is a hilly but well watered town. The falls of Big 
stream, in this town, are worthy of the attention, both of the ge- 
ologist and traveller. The stream, after dashing over a rapid 
half a mile in length, leaps down 140 feet, into a basin eight or 
ten rods in diameter, from whence its foaming waters find their 
way to the lake, by a channel some eighty rods in length. 

Dundee is a busy and thriving village in the town of Starkey. 
It has some manufactures. Population 1000. 

* Jemima "Wilkinson, or as she styled herself, the '' Universal Friend," was 
born in Cumberland, Rhod r Island, about the year 1753. She was educated 
among the Friends. When about twenty-three years of age, she was taken sick, 
and during her illness an apparent suspension of life occurred. After her recov- 
ery she professed to have been raised from the dead, and to have been invested 
with divine attributes, and authority to instruct mankind in religion. She also pre- 
tended to foretell future events, and to possess the power to heal fhe sick and to 
work miracles ; and if any person who made application to her was not healed, 
she ascribed it to a want of faith. She asserted that those who refused to believe 
her claims, would be forever punished for their incredulity. She possessed ex- 
traordinary beauty, and though illiterate, discovered great tact in maintaining her 
extraordinary pretensions. Her memory was said to be very retentive. She set- 
tled at Milo, in this county, with her followers, in 179Q, and subsequently removed 
to Bluff Point, where she died, in 1819. The settlement at Milo numbered about 
forty familes, and was then the largest in the whole Genesee country. A few of 
her disciples still remain at Bluff Point. 



L1V. 

Square miles, 572. 
Organized, 1823. 



WAYNE COUNTY. 

Population. 42,515. 
Valuation, 1845, $6,818,533. 




TOWNS. 



9. Savannah, 1824. 

10. Arcadia, 1825. 

11. Marion, 1825. 

12. Butler, 1826. 

13. Huron, 1826. 

14. Rose, 1826. 

15. Walworth, 1829. 



1. Palmyra, 1789. 

2. Sodus, 1789. 

3. Williamson, 1802. 

4. Ontario, 1807. 

5. Wolcott, 1807. 

6. Lyons, 18 11. 

7. Galen, 1812. 

8. Macedon, 1823. 
Rivers, fyc. a. Mud Creek, b. Canandaiajua River, c. Clyde. 
Lakes and Bays. J. Ontario, d. Sodus Bay. e. Port Bay. f. East 

Bay. h. Crusoe Lake. 
Villages. Lyons. Palmyra. Newark. Clyde. Pulteneyville. 

Boundaries. North by Lake Ontario; East by Cayuga 
county ; South by Seneca and Ontario, and West by Monroe. 

Surface. The surface is much diversified. The Ridge Road 
extends through the county, from east to west, at a distance of 
from four to eight miles from the shore of Lake Ontario, and at 
an elevation of 140 feet above it. North of this road, the descent 
to the lake is gradual and nearly uniform; south of it, and ex- 
tending to the mountain ridge, the surface is raised into low 
hills of gravel and sand, seemingly by the action of the waves of 
tht lake, which, perhaps, at some remote period, covered this 
whole region. 

The mountain ridge forms, here, the watershed of the county, 



WAYNE COUNTY. 397 

dividing the waters which flow into the lake from those which 
run southerly. 

Rivers. The principal streams of the county are Mud creek 
and the Canandaigua river or outlet. The length of each of 
these streams is about fifty miles. They unite in the town of 
Lyons and form the Clyde, a tributary of the Seneca river. 

Bays. The lake coast is indented by three considerable bays, 
viz : Sodus bay, Port bay and East bay. The first of these af- 
fords a very good harbor for vessels of light draft. 

Crusoe lake, in the town of Savannah, is a shallow pond, one 
and a half miles in circumference. 

Climate. The temperature is rendered agreeable by the ex- 
tent of surface exposed to the lake. The county is generally 
considered healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. The Medina sandstone appears on 
the surface along the shore of the lake. As the land rises, this 
is succeeded by the Clinton, Niagara and Onondaga groups— all 
limestones. South of the Ridge-Road, the county is traversed 
by numerous long, narrows parallel ridges of sand and gravel, 
from twenty-five to thirty feet high. 

Lenticular iron ore and bog iron ore are found in considerable quantities. 
Gypsum, marl, gypseous marl, and water limestone are abundant. Sulphur springs 
and weak brine springs occur in several localities. The latter were formerly of 
considerable importance. In 1810, 50,000 bushels of salt were manufactured 
from them. In Wolcott, specimens of heavy spar have been discovered. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil of this county is 
very fertile, and experience has proved, that the process of cul- 
tivation renders it increasingly so, by producing disintegration 
and decomposition of the earths of which it is composed. The 
timber is similar to that of the other counties on the lake, con- 
sisting of beech, maple, elm, black and white oak, white walnut, 
some hemlock and pine, black and white ash, &c. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the inhabit- 
ants. The diversity of the surface renders grazing and the 
culture of grain nearly equally profitable, and both are practiced 
extensively. 

Manufactures are increasing in importance in the county. 
Large quantities of flour and lumber are produced, and the 
manufactures of iron, glass, leather, distilled and malt liquors, 
pot and pearl ashes, employ a considerable amount of capital. 

The commerce of the county is not large, vessels of light draft 
only being able to cross the bar, at the mouth of the Sodus bay, 
on which the principal landings are situated. 

There are some iron mines, or quarries, as they are denom- 
inated, in which considerable quantities of the lenticular iron ore 
are obtained. 

13 



398 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Staple Productions. Wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, flax, 
wool, butter, cheese and pork. 

Schools. The whole number of school-houses in the county 
is 227. The public schools were maintained on an aver- 
age eight months during the year 1846; 15,296 children re- 
ceived instruction, at a cost of $17,635 for tuition. The district 
libraries contained 25,760 volumes. 

There were in the county thirty-one private schools, with 871 pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Eaptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Friends. Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Dutch Re- 
formed, Universalists, Unitarians and Lutherans. There are 
in the county seventy-two churches, and eighty-nine clergymen, 
of all denominations. 

History. The settlement of this county dates since the revo- 
lution. About two-thirds of its territory, including one quarter 
of the towns of Galen, Rose and Huron, and all west of these, 
was included in the Massachusetts grant to Messrs. Phelps and 
Gorham, and formed a part of the Pulteney estate. The other 
third belonged to the Military Tract. The emigrants were 
from New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, England, Scot- 
land, and Germany. During the late war with Great Britain, 
Sodus, and Pulteney ville, (a village in the town of William- 
son,) were invaded by the British, and the former burnt. They 
were repulsed in each instance, before obtaining the provisions, 
which were the object of their incursions. 

In 1829 or 30, the Mormon delusion originated at Palmyra, in 
this county. Joseph Smith, the reputed prophet and founder of 
that system, resided in the town of Manchester, in Ontario 
county, and his leading disciple, Martin Harris, was a thrifty 
farmer of Palmyra. By money furnished by this man, Smith 
was enabled to publish the first edition of the book of Mormon, 
or the Mormon Bible, as it has since been called. In the autumn 
of 1830, Smith removed to Kirtland, Ohio, afterward to Mis- 
souri, and finally to Nauvoo, Illinois. 

Villages. Lyons, the county seat, is a pleasant village in 
the town of the same name. It was first settled in June, 1798, 
by Mr. Van Wickle and about forty other emigrants from New 
Jersey and Maryland. It has a fine hydraulic power, obtained 
by a canal of half a mile in length, from the Canandaigua out- 
let. The mill privileges afforded by this canal are well im- 
proved. The High school here is an excellent institution, sur- 
passed by few academies in the state. Population about 2000. 

Palmyra, one of the earliest settled towns in the county, has 
a village of the same name within its limits, situated on the Erie 
canal. It is a place of considerable business, and extensively 
engaged in the lumber trade. It is considered one of the most 



ORLEANS COUNTY. 399 

beautiful villages on the canal. Its streets are ornamented with 
fine shade trees. Here is an incorporated academy. Pop. 2200. 

Clyde, on the river of the same name, a village in the town of 
Galen, is a thriving, busy place. It has a number of manufac- 
tories. The high school here is incorporated and comprises two 
school districts, which have united for greater efficiency. It is 
in a nourishing condition. Population 1200. 

Sodus contains within its limits the principal harbor of the 
county. At the mouth of the bay in this town, the United States 
government have erected a pier, a mile in length, for the im- 
provement of the harbor. The town was burned during the late 
war with Great Britain. Population about 500. 

Pulteneyville, a village on Lake Ontario, in the town of 
Williamson, was also invaded by the British, but their fears of 
the American riflemen prevented them from doing much injury. 
Population 500. 



LV. ORLEANS COUNTY. 

Square Miles, 372. Population, 25,845. 

Organized, 1824. Valuation, 1845, $4,761,054. 




1. Murray, 1808. 

2. Ridgeway, 1812. 

3. Gaines, 1816. 

4. Barre, 1818. 

5. Shelby, 1818. 



TOWNS. 

6. Clarendon, 1821. 

7. Carlton, 1822. 

8. Yates, 1822. 

9. Kendall, 1838. 



400 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Rivers, fyc. a. Sandy Creek, b. Johnson's, d. Oak Orchard. 
Lakes. J. Ontario, c. Jefferson. 
Villages. Albion. Medina. 

Boundaries. North by Lake Ontario ; East by Monroe coun- 
ty ; South by Genesee, and West by Niagara, counties. 

Surface. The county has three distinct terraces, the first 
rising gradually from the shore of the lake, to the height of 130 
feet, is about seven or eight miles broad, and is terminated by 
the Ridge-Road. The second, from one to three miles in 
breadth, rises from the ridge more precipitously, to about the 
same height, and is terminated by a ledge. The third extends 
into Genesee county ; its ascent, of about 140 feet, is quite rapid. 
The elevation of this highest terrace above the lake, is, there- 
fore, about 400 feet. 

Rivers and Creeks. Oak Orchard, Johnson's, and Sandy 
creeks, are the only streams of importance in the county. The 
first is about fifty miles in length. 

By an open aqueduct four and a half miles in length, cut for most of the distance 
through solid rock, the canal commissioners have turned the upper waters of 
the Tonawanda creek into Oak Orchard creek, thus increasing the volume of the 
latter, and rendering it more valuable for hydraulic purposes, and for supplying the 
feeder of the Erie canal. 

Lakes. There are no lakes or ponds of any importance in the 
county. Jefferson lake, in the town of Murray, is the largest, 
but does not contain more than fifty acres. 

Marshes. The great Tonawanda Swamp, which extends 
over portions of Genesee and Niagara counties, lies partly in 
this county. It is twenty-five miles in length from east to west, 
and from two to seven in breadth. It is bounded on all sides by 
plains a little elevated above its surface. 

Climate. The exposure of the whole northern boundary of 
the county to the lake, has the effect of producing a more uni- 
formly mild climate, than that of some of the more southern 
counties. The county is generally considered healthy. 

Geology and Minerals. In the northern portion of the 
county, the Medina sandstone prevails, affording in many places, 
an admirable material for building. In the central and southern 
portions, the Niagara, Clinton and Onondaga limestones form 
the surface rock. 

The mineral productions are principally bog iron ore, and some brine and sul- 
phur springs. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is mostly clay 
and argillaceous loam, and is highly fertile. The timber of the 
county, is beech, maple, linden, elm, red, black and white oak, 



ORLEANS COUNTY. 401 

hickory, hemlock, pine, black and white ash, &c. The southern 
part of the county is more heavily wooded than the northern. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the principal pursuit, and the atten- 
tion of the farmers is divided between the culture of grain and 
the rearing of cattle. The county, however, may properly be 
ranked among the grain counties. 

Manufactures receive some attention, particularly those of 
flour, lumber, leather, fulled cloths, iron, and distilled liquors. 

There is but one harbor on the lake, and very little commerce, 
nor are there any mines of importance. 

The Staple Productions of the county are wheat, oats, corn, 
potatoes and lumber ; a considerable quantity of butter and 
cheese are also produced. 

Schools. There are in the county 134 public schools, taught, 
during the year 1846, an average period of eight months. In 
these schools, 9841 children received instruction, at an expense 
for tuition of $11,226. The district libraries contained 16,895 
volumes. 

There were in the county the same year, sixteen private schools, with 313 
pupils ; three academies and one female seminary, with 330 students. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyte- 
rians, Unitarians, Universalists, Episcopalians, Congregation- 
alists, Friends, and Dutch Reformed. 

There are forty-one churches, and fifty-nine clergymen, of all 
denominations, in the county. 

History. This county was first settled by emigrants from 
New England. It was all included in the grant to Massachu- 
setts ; the towns of Barre, Carlton, Gaines, Ridgeway, Shelby, 
and Yates were comprised in the Holland Land Company's 
purchase ; whilst Murray, Clarendon, and Kendall, belonged to 
the Pulteney estate. 

Murray, the oldest town in the county, was organized in 180S, 
In a settlement so recent, there is of course little of historical 
interest. 

In Ridgeway and its vicinity are remains of Indian fortifica- 
tions. 

Villages. Albion, a village in the town of Barre, is the seat 
of justice for the county. It is pleasantly situated upon the 
canal, near the centre of the county. 

A flourishing female seminary is here located, and an incor- 
porated academy. It is surrounded by a rich and fertile coun- 
try, and is a neat and ihriving village. Population, 1600. 

Holley is a pleasant village in the town of Murray. It has 
some manufactures. A short distance east of the village, is the 
Holley embankment, one of the largest on the canal, elevated 
seventy-six feet above the creek. Population 400. 



402 



STATE OF NEW YORK. 



Medina, a thriving village in the town of Murray, was incor- 
porated in 1832. . It has some manufactures. Population, 1200. 

Knowlesville, in the same town, is a growing villag-e Popu- 
lation, 600. 

Gaines, in the town of the same name, has an incorporated 
academy. Population, 700. 



LVI. CHEMUNG COUNTY. 

Square Miles, 530. Population, 23,689. 

Organized, 1836. Valuation, 1845, $2,464,634. 




1. Chemung, 1791. 

2. Elmira, 1792. 

3. Catharines, 1798. 

4. Big Flats, 1822. 

5. Erin, 1822. 



TOWNS. 

6. Southport, 182- 

7. Catlin, 1S23. 

8. Veteran, 1823. 

9. Cayuta, 1824. 
10. Dix, 1835. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY. 403 

Rivers. 0. Chemung, b. Newtown Creek, c. Catharine's, d. 

Cayuta. 
Battle Fields. Elmira. 
Villages. Elmira. Havana. 

Boundaries. North by Steuben and Tompkins; East by 
Tompkins and Tioga; South by the state of Pennsylvania; and 
West by Steuben county. 

Surface. This county forms part of the great table land ex- 
tending from the counties of Ulster and Greene, to the vicinity 
of Lake Erie. Its mean elevation is about J600 feet above tide 
water, but the northern portion declines gradually toward Sen- 
eca Lake, whose waters are but 456 feet above the level of the 
ocean. The streams which pass through the county divide this 
otherwise level surface into ridges, their banks being very high 
and precipitous. 

Rivers. The Chemung or Tioga river is the principal stream 
ofthe county. The other streams are, Cayuta Creek, forming 
part of the eastern boundary, Wynkoop, Baldwin's and New- 
town Creeks, tributaries of the Chemung, and Catharine's 
Creek, an inlet of Seneca Lake. 

Lakes. Cayuta Lake, in the northeastern part, is the only 
pond of importance in the county. Seneca Lake forms a portion 
ofthe northern boundary. 

Canals. The Chemung canal connects the village of Elmira 
with Seneca Lake. 

Railroads. The route ofthe New York and Erie railroad is 
laid out through this county. 

Climate. The climate, like that of the table land generally, 
is cool, but salubrious. The vicinity of Seneca Lake "exerts 
some influence in modifying it. 

Geology and Minerals. The basis rock is secondary gray- 
wacke slate, sometimes mingled with shale, at others compact, 
and forming fine building stone. It is covered with a fine, close 
grained sandstone. In the northern part ofthe county are beds 
of limestone. The surface rocks belong to the Chemung sand- 
stone, except a small tract around Seneca Lake, where the 
Helderberg limestone makes its appearance. 

The mineral produc lions of Chemung county are few, and generally unimpor- 
tant. There is some marl, in various parts of the county, and gypsum in Catha- 
rines and Catlin. 

Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally fertile; the 
pine plains in the towns of Big Flats and Elmira, which were 
formerly deemed worthless, are found by the application of 
plaster, to yield abundant crops The timber of the county is 
white pine, hemlock, spruce, oak, maple, elm, beech, ash, linden, 



404 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

&c. The maple is very abundant, and yields large quantities of 
sugar. 

The soil of the uplands is better adapted to grass than grain, 
but the valleys yield abundantly the various grains, peas, beans 
and hops. 

Pursuits. The people of the county are mostly devoted to 
agriculture ; attention being paid to grazing in the uplands, 
and to the growing of grain in the more fertile valleys. 

Manufactures are also increasing in importance. Flour, 
lumber, cloth, iron and leather, are the principal articles. 

The opening of a navigable communication between the Hud- 
son and Susquehanna, through the Seneca Lake and Erie 
canal, by means of the Chemung canal, has opened a market to 
the inhabitants of Chemung county, and been productive of ex- 
tensive inland commerce. 

The Corning and Blossburg railroad, which pours a portion 
of the mineral wealth of Pennsylvania into New York, has also 
been of great advantage to the county. 

Staple Productions. Oats, wheat, corn, buckwheat, butter, 
and cheese. 

Schools. There are in the county 128 schools, maintained 
during the year 1846, an average period of seven months, 
affording instruction to 7962 children, at an expense for tuition 
of $10,336. The district libraries contained 12,197 volumes. 

There were in the county, the same year, twenty-four unincorporated private 
schools, with 283 scholars, and one academy and one female seminary, with 134 
pupils. 

Religious Denominations. Methodists, Presbyterians, Bap- 
tists, Episcopalians, and Friends. There are twenty-six 
churches, and forty-one clergymen, of all denominations. 

History. The first white settlers in this county located in 
Eimira, Southport and Big Flats, between 1786 and 1792, 
having become acquainted with the country wdiile engaged in 
General Sullivan's expedition, in 1779. They were mostly 
from Pennsylvania, and from Orange county in this state. Cat- 
lin, Catharines, and Veteran, were settled soon after, by emi- 
grants from Connecticut ; Erin by Dutch and Scotch emigrants 
from New Jersey and Delaware county ; and Chemung by emi- 
grants from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. During General 
Sullivan's campaign in 1779, of which we have spoken in the 
historical sketch of the state, he encountered the enemy's force, 
consisting ofsomew T hat more than 1000 Indians and tories, under 
Brant and Colonels Butler and Johnson, at Eimira, in this county. 
The battle which ensued, called " the battle of the Chemung," 
was a severe and bloody one. It terminated in the defeat of 
the enemy, and the destruction of their towns. T he land in this 



CHEMUNG COUNTY. 405 

county was sold to the settlers, in 1788, at eighteen cents per 
acre. 

Villages, &c. Elmira., the county seat, is admirably situated 
for the purposes of trade, being in the midst of a fertile valley of 
considerable extent," and connected with Pennsylvania and Ma- 
ryland, by means of the Susquehanna river, and with almost 
every part of New York, by the Chemung canal. It is also on the 
route of the New York and Erie railroad, and from its commer- 
cial facilities, must eventually become a place of considerable 
importance. The first settler in the town was Colonel John 
Hendy , a veteran who had served under General Sullivan. He 
united, in a remarkable degree, extraordinary courage and great 
physical power, and in his conflicts with the Indians, often ex- 
hibited both. Population, 3300. 

In 1790, a treaty was negotiated at this place between the 
Indian tribes and the United States. Over 1000 Indians were 
present, and among them most of the principal chiefs. In 1797, 
Elmira was visited by Louis Phillippe, the present king of the 
French, accompanied by the Duke de Nemours, and the Duke 
de Berri. They had travelled on foot from Canandaigua to 
Elmira, a distance of seventy miles. Mr. Tower, whom they 
visited, fitted up an ark or flat boat, on board which he conveyed 
them to Harrisburg. 

The village has an incorporated academy and female semin- 
ary, both in a prosperous condition. There is also a mechanics' 
association, which has a commodious hall and a public library .^ 
It is largely engaged in the manufacture and exportation of 
lumber, ten million feet of marketable planks and boards being 
exported annually. 

Chemung, the earliest organized town in the county, has a 
hilly and broken surface, but much of it is fertile. In the south 
part of the town, is a mound called " Spanish hill," which but 
for its extent might be considered a work of art. It is elevated 
110 feet above and near the river's brink, and has upon its sum- 
mit vestiges of fortifications which display much skill and judg- 
ment. The entrenchments are regular and command the bed 
of the river. By whom they were constructed is unknown. 

Catharines, one of the early settled towns, was named after 
Catharine Montour, the wife of an Indian sachem. This ex- 
traordinary woman was a native of Canada, a half breed, and 
had been carried into the Seneca country when only ten years 
of age, and adopted by one of its families. She possessed a 
good address and had great influence with her tribe, frequently 
accompanying the chiefs to Philadelphia and other places where 
treaties were made. Her town, consisting of thirty houses and 
18* 



406 



STATE OF NEW YORK. 



farms in a high state of cultivation, was destroyed by General 
Sullivan, in 1779. 

Havana, in the town of Catharines, is a thriving village on 
the Chemung canal. It has some manufactures. Population, 
1000. 

Fairport, formerly called Horseheads, from the fact that 
General Sullivan here killed some seventy or eighty of his pack 
horses, to prevent their falling into the hand of the Indians, is a 
thriving village in the town of Elmira. It is considerably en- 
gaged in the lumber trade. Population, 600. 

Millport, in the town of Veteran, is a village of some import- 
ance. It has a fine hydraulic power. Population, 500. 



LVII. 

Square miles, 500. 
Organized, 1838. 



FULTON COUNTY. 



Population, 18,579. 
Valuation, 1845, $1,308,724. 




TOWNS. 

1. Broadalbin, 1793. 6. Oppenheim, 130S. 

2. Mayfield, 1793. 7. Ephrata, 1827. 

3. Johnstown, 1798. 8. Bleeker, 1831. 

4. Northampton, 1801. 9. Perth, 1838. 

5. Stratford, 1805. 10. Garoga, 1843. 
Mountains. EE. Kayaderosseras. JJ. Au Sable range. 

field mountain. 1. Klip Hill. 



k. May- 



FULTON COUNTY. 407 

Rivers, a. Sacandaga. c. Cayaduta or Little Canada Creek, f. 

Fish. h. East Canada, i. Garoga. 
Lakes, m. Fish Lake. n. Garoga Lakes. 
Battle Fields. Johnstown. 
Villages. Johnstown. Kingsborough. 

Boundaries. North by Hamilton county; East by Saratoga 
county ; South by Montgomery county, and West by Herkimer 
county. 

Surface. Mountainous. The Kayaderosseras and Au Sable 
ranges traverse the county. Mayfield mountain and Klip hill 
are local names given to spurs of these ranges. 

Rivers. On the east the county is drained by Sacandaga 
river and its branches, West Stoney and Mayfield creeks. On 
the south by Chuctenunda, Cayaduta, Garoga and Zimmer- 
man's creeks, all flowing into the Mohawk, and on the west by 
East Canada Creek and its tributaries, Ayres, Fish and Sprite 
Creeks. 

Lakes. Fish Lake and the Garoga Lakes are the only con- 
siderable sheets of water in the county. 

Climate. Healthful, but from the elevation of much of the 
surface, cool. 

Geology and Minerals. The rocks of the northern part of 
the county are primitive, consisting of gneiss, in some of its 
forms. As we approach nearer the Mohawk, the calciferous or 
earlier limestone makes its appearance, particularly in the east- 
ern part of the county. In Mayfield, the limestone denominated 
by Geologists, birdseye, is found, and on the southern limits of 
the county, the Trenton limestone. 

The county does not appear to be rich in minerals. Mica, garnet, green feld- 
spar, and porphyritic gneiss, are the principal yet discovered. Quartz, in fine 
transparent crystals, occurs in the southern part of the county. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil of the southern 
portion of the county is rich and fertile, and well adapted to 
grain. Oak, hickory, ash, maple, &c. are the principal forest 
trees. In thi northern part of the county the hemlock and oak 
are found, and the land is less fertile. 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the pursuit of a majority of the 
inhabitants. In the southern towns a considerable quantity of 
grain is raised ; in the northern, more attention is paid to the 
rearing of cattle, sheep and swine, and to the products of the 
dairy. 

Manufactures also form an important pursuit in the county, 
and are annually increasing in value. The principal articles of 
manufacture are leather, (for which the hemlock forests of the 



408 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

northern portion afford great facilities,) buckskin gloves and 
mittens, which are made here in larger quantities than any 
where else in the United States ; flour, lumber and paper. 

There is no commerce from the want of navigable streams. 
There are no mines. 

The Staple Productions are butter, cheese, wool, oats, rye, 
flax, potatoes and corn. 

Schools. There are 105 public schools in the county. The 
average number of months during which schools are maintained 
is seven. The expenses of public school instruction in 1846, 
were $7168, and the number of scholars 5593. The district li- 
braries contained 11,292 volumes. Three private schools had 
nineteen pupils, and two academies eighty-five scholars. 

Religious Denominations. Presbyterians, Methodists, Bap- 
tists, Dutch Reformed, Unitarians, Episcopalians and Univer- 
salists. There are in the county thirty-two churches, and 
twenty-nine clergymen, of all denominations. 

History. The first settlements in this county, appear to have 
been made by German emigrants, in 1724, at Oppenheim and 
Ephrata. The settlements about Johnstown were made be- 
tween 1760 and 1770, through the influence of Sir William 
Johnson and his family. In 1764 or 1765, Sir William erected 
the residence known as Johnson Hall, one mile west of the vil- 
lage of Johnstown, and resided there till his death. A sketch of 
his life has already been given, under Montgomery county. 
The possessions of the baronet in this, as well as in Montgom- 
ery county, were confiscated after the revolution, and sold. 

On Sunday, the 21st of May, 1780, Sir John Johnson made 
an incursion into Johnstown, and burned thirty-three houses, 
killed eleven persons and wounded a number more. Colonel 
Visscher, one of those who were wounded, was scalped and left 
for dead, but finally recovered. 

In October, 1781, the battle of Johnstown was fought, on the 
Hall Farm, in Johnstown. 

A body of tories and Indians, about 700 in number, under the 
command of the inhuman Ross and Walter Butler, had made 
a descent upon the valley of the Mohawk, to plunder and butcher 
its inhabitants. They had proceeded thus far, marking their 
course with fire and blood, when Colonel Marinus Willet, with 
a body of Mohawk valley troops, attacked them, and after a se- 
vere action compelled them to retreat. They were closely pur- 
sued, and it was during their flight, that the infamous Butler 
met with the fate he so justly merited, at the hand of an Oneida 
Indian.* The loss of the Americans, in this conflict, was about 

* It is related that when Butler was wounded, and the Oneida Indian who had 
shot him, rushed upon him, tomahawk in hand, the wretch, who had never shown 



FULTON COUNTY. 409 

forty. Nearly the same number of the enemy were killed, and 
about fifty taken prisoners. 

Villages. Johnstown is a fine and thriving village, in the 
town of the same name. Its location was selected by Sir Will- 
iam Johnson, and several of its public edifices erected by him. 

It has a flourishing academy, the bell of which was the gift of 
Q,ueen Anne, to a chapel called after her, which was destroyed 
during the revolution. It is the county seat. Population 1000. 

Kingsbord' is another village in the same township, famous 
for the manufacture of deerskin gloves and mittens. It has an 
academy of some note. Population 400. 

Gloversville, in the same township, is also celebrated for the 
manufacture of mittens, gloves and moccasins, of buckskin. 
Population 400. 

At the confluence of Mayfield creek with the Sacandaga river, 
is the Fish House village, so named from Sir William John- 
son's summer residence, which stood at this point, and at which 
he was accustomed to spend a considerable portion of each sum- 
mer, in hunting, fishing and rural amusements. 

About 1000 acres of the Vlaie, or great marsh, extending over 
some 5000 acres, lie in this vicinity, and afford a valuable range 
for cattle in the dry season, and a fine fishing and hunting 
ground for the sportsman. 

Bawsonville, in the town of Broadalbin, is a village of some 
importance. Population 500. 

mercy to any. however innocent and helpless, who had implored it at his hands 
begged for quarter from the Indian. " Me give you Sherry valley quarters," was 
the broken reply of the savage ; alluding to the bloody massacre of Cherry valley 
in which Butler had acted so conspicuous a part. With this answer, he buried 
his tomahawk in the brain of the murderer. 



LVIII. HAMILTON COUNTY. 



Square Miles, 1064. 
Organized, 1835. 



Population, 1882. 
Valuation, 1845, $339,228. 




HAMILTON COUNTY. 411 

TOWNS. 

1. Wells, 1S05. 5: Arietta, 1837. 

2. Lake Pleasant, 1812. 6. Long Lake, 1838. 

3. Hope, 1SH. 7. Gilman, 1839. 

4. Morehouse, 1835. 

Mountains. EE. Kayaderosseras. GG. Chateaugay. HH. Clinton 

range. JJ. Au Sable range. 
Rivers, a. Sacandaga. b. Oxbow, c. Moose, d. Indian, f. West 

•Canada Creek. 
Lakes, h. Teralt. j. Long. k. Oxbow. 1. Piseco. n. Pleasant. 
Villages. Piseco. Lake Pleasant. 

Boundaries. North by St. Lawrence and Franklin counties ; 
East by Essex Warren and Saratoga ; South by Fulton and 
Herkimer, and West by Herkimer, counties. 

Surface. The surface of this county is mountainous, four 
chains of mountains traversing it. viz : the Kayaderosseras, 
Clinton, Chateaugay and Au Sable ranges. Much of it is cov- 
ered with dense forests and lakes, presenting to the eye an ap- 
pearance very similar, probably, to that of New England, two 
hundred years ago. The hills are generally susceptible of cul- 
tivation, the soil being strong and productive, and considerable 
tracts as arable, and fertile as the timber lands of the west. 

Rivers. The principal streams which drain the county are 
the Racket, Indian, Sacandaga, Oxbow, Moose and Beaver 
rivers, and West Canada creek. 

Lakes and Ponds. These are almost innumerable, and in 
the purity of their waters, the picturesque and majestic scenery 
which surrounds them, the abundance of trout and other fish 
which they afford, are equal to any in the world. 

Long, Indian, Racket, Transparent, Clinch, Crotchet, Pleas- 
ant, Round, Piseco. Elm, Oxbow, Beaver and Squaw lakes, are 
the principal. The forests abound with deer and other game, 
not excepting panthers, bears, catamounts and wolves. 

Climate. From its elevation, as well as the density of its 
forests, the climate is cold, and the winters long. 

Geology and Minerals. The county belongs almost entirely 
to the great northeastern primitive formation; and its rocks are 
mainly granite, gneiss and hypersthene. 

Iron has been discovered, and probably the other metals and 
minerals of a primitive country exist. The ore of iron discov- 
ered is the magnetic, and of excellent quality. 

Vegetable Productions. The timber is principally beech, 
maple, black birch, butternut and elm ; the lower range of hills 



412 STATE OF NEW YORK, 

produces pines of gigantic growth. Portions of the county are 
well adapted to the culture of grain. 

Pursuits. The inhabitants are mostly devoted to agricultu- 
ral pursuits and fishing. The county possesses much land suit- 
able for grazing. 

The manufactures are principally domestic. 

Staple Productions. Butter, cheese, lumber, corn, oats, 
buckwheat and potatoes. 

Schools. There are twenty-six schools in the county, at- 
tended by 690 children. The number of months in which schools 
were taught, during the year 1S46, was five, and the amount 
paid for teacher's wages $677. The number of volumes in the 
district libraries was 1043. 

There is one private school in the county. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists and Methodists. There 
are three churches and three clergymen, of all .denominations, 
in the county.- 

History. Very little can be said of the early history of this 
county. The first settlers probably removed from the counties 
of Montgomery and Fulton, into the wilderness. The first town 
was organized in 1805- In some sections of the county consid- 
erable bodies of Welch emigrants have located themselves. 

Villages. Piseco, on the Piseco lake, in Arietta, has been 
designated as the county seat. It is a small but pleasant vil- 
lage. 

Lake Pleasant, on the lake of the same name, is a small vil- 
lage. It is a favorite resort for sportsmen and anglers. 



LIX. WYOMING COUNTY. 



Square Miles about 590. 
Organized, 1841. 



Population, 31,526. 
Valuation* 1845, $3,652,782. 




10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 



Attica, 1821. 
Castile, 182L. 
Wethersfield, 
Eagle, 1S23. 
Pike, 1827. 
Warsaw, 1828 
Java. 1832. 



1. Sheldon, 1808. 

2. Middlebury, 1812. 

3. Gainesville, 1814. 

4. Perry, 1814. 

5. Orangeville, 1816. 

6. Covington, 1817. 
1. Bennington, 1818. 
8. China, 1818. 
Rivers. N. Genesee River 

raugus. g. Nunskoy. n. Cayuga. 
Falls, s. Portage Falls. 
Lakes, i. Silver. 
Villages. Warsaw. Attica. Genesee Falls, 



1823. 



16. Genesee Falls, 1846. 
c. Allen's Creek, d. Seneca, f. Catta- 



Perry. 



Boundaries. North by Genesee ; East by Livingston ; South 
by Allegany and Cattaraugus ; and West by Erie. 

• This sum is exclusive of the three towns of Eagle, Pike and Genesee Falls, 
added in 1S46, from Allegany county. 



414 STATE OF NEW YORK. 

Surface. This county occupies, for the most part, the second 
of those elevated tableaux, or plains, which stretch from Lake 
Ontario to the southern border of the state, and which are divi- 
ded from each other by sleep and almost perpendicular precipi- 
ces. The table land on which most of Wyoming cou.ity lies, 
commences with the ledge, which runs through the southern 
towns of Genesee county, and over which the waters of Allen's 
creek are precipitated in Le Roy, and rises with an ascent not 
exceeding ten or twelve feet to the mile, to the ledge over which 
the Genesee river falls, at Portageville. 

There are no mountain ridges in the county, and the declivity 
of the land is but just sufficient to drain it. 

Rivers. The Genesee river forms the southeastern bound- 
ary of the county, for a distance of nearly twenty miles, and in 
its fall over the ledge, at Genesee falls, furnishes a valuable hy- 
draulic power. 

The other principal streams of the county are' Allen's creek, 
(named from the ferocious villain known, for many years, in this 
region, as Indian Allen,) Tonawanda, Cayuga, Seneca, Wis- 
koy, and Nunskoy creeks. 

Lake. Silver lake, lying partly in Perry and partly in Cas- 
tile, is a beautiful little sheet of water, five eighths of a mile 
wide, and three miles long, elevated several hundred feet above 
the Genesee river. 

The climate is generally salubrious. The prevailing diseases 
are of a bilious type. 

Geology and Minerals. The county lies almost entirely 
within the bounds of the Erie group. In the north the Ludlow- 
ville shales predominate. In the south the Chemung sandstone 
is the prevailing rock. 

Carbonate of lime, crystallized in fantastic and sometimes beautiful forms,* sul- 
phate of lime, or gypsum, and iron pyrites are abundant. There is some sulphate 
of barytes, and small seams of anthracite, but, as might be expected in the geo- 
logical formation of this section, in too small quantities to be of any practical 
value. 

The fossils are mainly vegetable, consisting mostly of fucoides, or mosses. 
There are also, in some portions of the county, fossil shells, but not in great 
variety. 

Soil and Vegetable Productions. The soil is generally fer- 
tile, particularly along the Genesee valley. The forest trees of 
this county are, in the north part, the beech, maple, hemlock 
and elm, with some oak. In the southern portion, pine, bass- 
wood and ash. 

The principal crops are oats, wheat, potatoes, corn, flax, 
barley, peas and buckwheat. 

* Among the most singular of these forms are masses, weighing from ten to three 
hundred pounds, bearing a striking resemblance, in form, to the turtle. Their 
homogeneous structure, and some peculiarities in their form, preclude the sup- 
position that they are fossil animal remains. 



WYOMING COUNTY. 415 

Pursuits. Agriculture is the principal pursuit. The eastern 
and northern towns are largely engaged in the culture of grain, 
particularly wheat and oats. The southern towns are better 
adapted to grazing. 

Manufactures are increasing in the county, but as yet are in 
their infancy. Flour, leather, lumber, pot and pearl ashes, and 
woollen goods are the principal articles. The entire value of 
the goods manufactured in the county, in 1845, was estimated 
at $412,000. 

There are no mines or quarries, of importance, in the county. 

The Genesee river canal, affords a convenient mode of trans- 
portation for the produce of the eastern towns of the county. 

Staple Productions. Oats, wheat, potatoes, butter, cheese, 
wool, beef, pork and lumber. 

Schools. There were, in 1846, 198 district schools, in this 
county. The average amount of instruction given in these was 
eight months. 20,479 volumes were reported in the district 
school libraries; and $12,946 was the amount paid for the in- 
struction of 11,517 children. 

There were also eight private and select schools, with 220 pupils, in the 
county, and three incorporated seminaries, with 132 students. 

Religious Denominations. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists, Universalists, Episcopalians, Roman 
Catholics and Dutch Reformed. There are in the county fifty- 
four churches and sixty-four clergymen, of all denominations. 

History. The first settler in this county was Mr. Elizur 
Webster, who removed from New England, and settled in the 
present town of Warsaw, in 1803. His daughter, (now the 
w T ife of Hon. A. W. Young of this county,) was the first child 
born in the county. Many of the early settlers were from 
Washington and the adjacent counties in Vermont. These 
generally settled in the vicinity of Warsaw. 

As a part of the Genesee valley, its fertility attracted a host of 
emigrants to its borders, and though the youngest county in the 
state in its organization, it occupies a middle rank in population. 

Much of the land was formerly owned by the Holland Land 
Company, but it has, within a few years been very generally 
purchased by actual settlers. 

The Gardeau tract, or flats, was a tract of about 10,000 acres, 
lying on the Genesee river, partly in the town of Castile, which 
the Indians reserved in a treaty with Robert Morris, in 1797, 
as a gift to the Seneca white woman, Mary Jemison.* 

* This extraordinary woman was a native of Ireland, and was taken prisoner 
by the Indians, when a child twelve or thirteen years of age. She was adopted 
by an Indian family, and embraced the Indian faith, habits and customs. She was 



416 STATE OP NEW YORK. 

Wyoming county formed part of Genesee county, till 1841, 
when it was organized as a separate county, and, in 1846, the 
towns of Eagle and Pike, and that portion of Portage lying west 
of Genesee river, were taken from Allegany county and an- 
nexed to it. The last town received the name of Genesee Falls. 

Villages, &c. Warsaw, the county seat, in the town of the 
same name, was settled by emigrants from New England, who 
were highly intelligent and religious, and to this day it is charac- 
terized by the intelligence and morality of its inhabitants. It is 
situated in the midst of a fine agricultural district, and has some 
manufactures. The first church edifice erected west of the 
Genesee river, was standing in Warsaw a few years since. 
Population 800. 

Perry is a thriving and busy town, considerably engaged in 
manufactures. There are two villages in the town, Perry and 
Perry Centre. There is an academy at Perry, of some note, 
and a number ofmanufacturing establishments. Population 1200. 

At Perry Centre a literary institution, called the Perry Centre 
Institute, has recently been established. 

Middlebury has a flourishing academy, incorporated in 1817, 
located in the village of Wyoming, which is situated in a pleas- 
ant valley, and has a population of about 600. 

Genesee Falls, in the town of the same name, formerly called 
Portageville, is situated at the falls of the Genesee river, one of 
the most romantic and interesting locations in western New 
York. In the space of two miles there are three distinct falls, 
of 60, 90, and 110 feet, each possessing beauties of a character 
peculiar to itself. The banks of the river tower up in stupend- 
ous perpendicular walls, more than 400 feet in height, and are 
crowned with gigantic evergreens, which, from their venerable 
appearance, seem to have maintained their position for ages. 

Notwithstanding the immense depth to which the bed of the 
river has been worn, its turns are short and graceful, giving the 
admiring visitor new, though limited views, at every stage of 
his progress. 

In June, 1817, a land slide of about fifteen acres took place 
from the side of a hill in this town, into the river, which for some 
time completely dammed it, leaving a perpendicular bank more 
than 100 feet in height. 

The hydraulic power furnished by the falls of the Genesee, is 
improved to a considerable extent. Population 800. 

married twice to Indian chiefs, and died in September, 1S33, at the age of ninety or 
ninety-one years. Since her death, most of her extensive property has been sold 
by her heirs. 



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STATISTICAL TABLES. 



429 



TABLE III. B. 

MANUFACTURING STATISTICS. 

Domestic Manufactures. 

Number of yards of fulled cloth manufactured in the 

families of the state, in 1844, . . . 1,664,366 

Number of yards of cloth not fulled, . . 2,650,116 

" " linen, cotton, or other cloth, 2,775,657 



TABLE III. C. 



The following 


table comprises articles not enumerated 


in the cen- 


sus of 1845, but 


reported in the United States census for 1840. In 


most of the items there has 


been considerable increase. 


The statis- 


tics are for the w 


hole state. 








Hardware and cu 


tlery were 


manufactured in 1840 to the 




amount of 








$1,566,974 


Machinery, 








2,895,517 


Carriages, wagons and sleig 


hs, 








2,364,461 


Sugar, 












385,000 


Confectionary, 












. 386,142 


Hats and Caps, 












2,914,117 


Bricks and lime, 












1,198,527 


Precious metals, 












1,106,203 


Other metals, 












2,456,792 


Tobacco, 












831,570 


Pottery, 






. 






. 159,000 


Gun Powder, 


, 










142,000 


Musical Instruments, 


. 








. 472,910 


Furniture, 












1,971,776 


Soap, 












596,991 


Tallow and Wax Candles, 










565,836 


Drugs and Paints 












. 877,816 


Turpentine and Varnish, 










431,467 


Cannon, 












5,600 


Small Arms, 












124,600 


Granite, Marble 


&c. 










. 966,220 


Chocolate, 


* 










5,000 




Total, 


$22,424,519 



430 



ITATE OF NEW YORK. 



TABLE IV. 



COMMERCIAL, STATISTICS. 



A. Total registered, enrolled and licensed tonnage of each district 



in the state, 1845. 






Tons. 


Champlain, 


3,192 


Sacketfs Harbor, 


. 3,419 


Oswego, 


11,410 


Niagara, 


12 


Genesee, 


235 


Oswegatchie, 


. 1,456 


Buffalo, 


24,770 


Sag Harbor, 


, . 28,348 


New York city, 


550,359 



Total, 



623,201 



B. Commerce of the State 

Ships cleared in 1845, 
Crews, — Men, 

Boys, 
Ships entered in 1845, 
Crews,— Men, 

Boys, 
Tons of shipping built in 1845, 



tons, 1,340,968 


86,770 


1,362 


tons, 1,450,711 


S6,430 


1,449 


29,432 



Imports and Exports. 



Imports of New York in 1846, 
Exports " " 



$70,269,811 
36,423,762 



D. Arrivals of Shipping. 



Vessels arrived from foreign ports, 1846, 
Coastwise arrivals, 



2,289 
4,663 



6,952 
Number of passengers from foreign ports, 1846, 115,230 



STATISTICAL TABLES. 431 



E. Internal Navigation, — Canals. 

Number of tons of products of the forest transported on all 

the canals of the State in 1845, . . . 881,774 

Value of do. . . . . . $6,472,237 

Number of tons of agricultural produce transported on all 

the canals of the State in 1845, . . . 555,160 

Value of do. . . . • . $29,479,488 

Number of tons of manufactures transported on all the 

canals of the State in 1845, . . . 160,638 

Value of do. . . . . . $6,994,932 

Number of tons of merchandise carried, &c. . 151,450 

Value of do. . . . . . #52,542,336 

Number of tons of other articles, . . . 228,543 

Value of do. ..... $5,140,866 

Total number of tons, .... 1,977,565 

Total value, ..... $100,629,859 

Property cleared from the Hudson river on all the canals 

in 1845, ...... $55,453,998 

Property which came to the Hudson from all the canals 

in 1845, ...... #45,452,301 



Total arrived and cleared, $100,906,299* 

Tolls on all the canals from September 30, 1845, to 

September 30, 1846, .... $2,764,121 



TABLE V. 

MINING STATISTICS, 1840.f 

Cast Iron, . tons, 29,088, . Value, $872,640 

Bar Iron, . " 53,693, . . " 4,295,440 

Lead, . lbs. 670,000, . " 20,100 

Other metals, .... . " 84,564 

Granite and other stone, ... " 1,541,480 

Salt, . bushels, 2,867,884, . . " 716,971 



Total value, $7,531,195 



* This includes those canals which are not the property of the State. 
t These statistics are for the most part far below the truth. 



432 



GOVERNORS OF THE STATE. 



I 



TABLE VI. 



Governors of the State. 



1. UNDER THE DUTCH. 

1. Peter Minuit, - - 1624—33 

2. Wouter Van Twiller, 1633—37 

3. William Kieft, - - 1637—47 

4. Peter Stuyvesant, - - 1647 — 64 

2. UNDER THE ENGLISH. 

1. Richard Nicolls. • 1664—67 

2. Francis Lovelace, - - 1667—73 

DUTCH ADMINISTRATION RESUMED. 

5. Anthony Colve, - - 1673-74 

ENGLISH ADMINISTRATION RESUMED. 

3. Edmoud Andross, - 1674— 83 

4. Thomas Dongan, • - 1683—88 

5. Edmond Andross, - 1688—89 

6. Jacob Leisler, - - 1689—91 
*7. Henry Sloughter, - 1691 

8. Richard Insoldsby, - 1691—92 

9. Benjamin Fletcher. - 1692—98 
10. Richard, Earl of Bello- 

mont, - - - 169S— 1701 

JohnNanfan, - - 1701—02 

Lord Cornbury, - • 1702—08 

John, Lord Lovelace, 170S— 09 

Richard In^oldsby, - 1709—10 

Gerardus Beekman, - 1710 

Robert Hunter, - - 1710—19 

Peter Schuvler, - - 1719—20 

William Burnet, - 1720—28 



John Montgomery, 


. 1728-31 


Rip Van Dam, 


1731—32 


William Cosby, 


. 1732—36 


George Clarke, * 


1736—43 


George Clinton, 


• 1743-53 


Sir Danvers Osborne, 


1753 


James De Lancey, 
Sir Charles Hardy, - 


1753—55 


- 1755—57 


James De Lancey, 


1757—60 


Cadwallader Colden, 


- 1760—61 


Robert Monkton, 


1761 


Cadwallader Colden, 


- 1761—65 


Sir Henry Moore, 
Cadwallader Colden, 


1765-69 


- 1769—70 


John, Lord Dunmore, 


1770—71 


William Tryon, - 


1771—77 


INDEPENDENT GOVERNMENT. 


George Clinton, 


- 1777—95 


John Jay, - 


1795—1801 


George Clinton, 


- 1801—04 


Morgan Lewis, • 


1804—07 


Daniel D. Tompkins, 


1807—17 


De Witt Clinton, • 


- 1817—22 


Joseph C. Yates, 


1822—24 


De Witt Clinton, - 


- 1824—28 


Nathaniel Pitcher, 


1828—29 


Martin Van Buren, 


- 1829 


Enos T.Throop, - 


1829—33 


William L. Marcy, 


- 1833—38 


William H. Seward, • 


1838-^2 


William C. Bouck, - 


• 1842—44 


Silas Wright, 


1844—46 


John Young, - 


- 1846 



* The administration of those Governors marked by an asterisk, (*) was termi- 
nated by death. 



Note. A few errors escaped notice till the last sheet was in press. The 
only ones of importance are the following. Page 17. 3d paragraph, for "The first 
four are navigated," read, "They are all navigated." Page 51 5th paragraph, for 
" 1626," read " 1629." Page 81, 7th paragraph for " 1778," read " 1779." Page 84, 6th 
paragraph, for " 1785," read "1795." Page 127, 4th paragraph, St. John's College at 
Rose Hill, Westchester County, should have been added to the list of Colleges and 
omitted on the next page. Page 192, Map of Montgomery County, the County 
Seat should be in 9, instead of 4. Page 224, 5th paragraph for " from east to west," 
read "from west to east." Page 248, last line, for Otsego read Otisco. Page 290, 
Map of Essex County, 5 should be 3, and the northeastern town should be 5. Page 
310, for XXIV, read XXXIV. 



LBJ<; 



